Middle East & North Africa

19 March 2024; MEMO: A senior Palestinian police officer was killed by Israeli forces in the northern Gaza Strip yesterday, the Government Media Office said, Anadolu reported.

19 March 2024; MEMO: The leader of the opposition in Israel, Yair Lapid, yesterday called on the Knesset to vote in favour of withdrawing confidence from the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Lapid described Netanyahu’s government as “most insane government in the country’s history.”

19 March 2024; MEMO: The Algerian presidency yesterday said President Abdelmadjid Tebboune congratulated his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on his re-election.

No further details were given on the matter.

The Russian Central Election Commission had announced yesterday that Putin won the presidential elections with 87.28 per cent of the votes after all ballots were counted.

19 March 2024; MEMO: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman yesterday expressed their willingness to continue developing friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries and coordination in OPEC+.

19 March 2024; MEMO: In a first since 7 October, a Chinese Foreign Ministry envoy met with the head of Hamas’ Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, in Qatar, Beijing said today.

In a brief statement, the Foreign Ministry said Ambassador Wang Kejian met with Haniyeh on Sunday and the pair “exchanged views on the Gaza conflict and other issues.”

19 March 2024; MEMO: Israel’s Labor Party has submitted a petition to the High Court of Justice, urging Israel’s hard line National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, to rescind gun licences issued in violation of the regulations process.

19 March 2024; MEMO: The British government said today that it would refer the UAE-led takeover of the Telegraph Media Group for a lengthy review, a move that will effectively kill the deal because a law banning foreign governments owning newspapers is due to come into force in coming months, Reuters has reported.

19 March 2024; MEMO: A US-based charity has confirmed that a consignment of almost 200 tons of food aid has reached starving people in northern Gaza today, a week after being despatched by sea from Cyprus.

19 March 2024; MEMO: More than 250 Palestinians have been killed or wounded in an ongoing Israeli raid on Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the Palestinian government media office said today.

The Israeli army raided the hospital on Monday, reported Anadolu. The facility houses thousands of ill and wounded patients, as well as displaced people.

19 March 2024; MEMO: The General Directorate of Highways has unveiled plans to enhance Turkiye’s transportation infrastructure through the implementation of smart technology initiatives by 2028, aimed at optimising routes and bolstering efficiency, the Daily Sabah newspaper reports.