Morning Briefing: April 6, 2025

ISTANBUL

Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Sunday, including the death toll in Gaza topping 50,600 as the Israel army kills 60 more Palestinians; the UK slamming Israel for blocking the entry of two British lawmakers and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming visit to the US.

• Gaza death toll tops 50,600 as Israeli army kills 60 more Palestinians

Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip killed at least 60 more Palestinians, bringing the death toll in its genocidal war since October 2023 to 50,669, according to the Health Ministry.

It said another 162 victims who were wounded were transferred to hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the number of injured to 115,225.

Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach victims, it added.

• UK slams Israel for blocking entry of 2 British lawmakers

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy slammed Israel’s "unacceptable” decision to block the entry of two British lawmakers into the country.

"It is unacceptable, counterproductive, and deeply concerning that two British MPs on a parliamentary delegation to Israel have been detained and refused entry by the Israeli authorities," Lammy said in a statement.

Stating that the UK is in contact with the MPs to support them, Lammy said he had made it "clear" to Israeli officials that "this is no way to treat British Parliamentarians."

• Netanyahu to visit US Monday as tariff tensions, Gaza war top agenda: Report

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House on Monday, according to an Axios report confirmed by a US official.

Netanyahu’s office confirmed that he “will fly to Washington tomorrow in light of an invitation he received to meet with US President Donald Trump.”

The prime minister “appreciates the warm and personal relationship with President Trump and thanks him for the invitation to be the first leader to meet with him following the imposition of global tariffs—just as he was the first leader to meet with him after his entry into the White House,” according to his office.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student activist who led campus pro-Palestinian rallies last year and is now fighting the Trump administration's efforts to deport him, has called his March 8 arrest by immigration authorities an "abduction."
• The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will be facing cuts, according to sources quoted by CBS News, as President Donald Trump strives to pare down the federal workforce.
• Supporters of South Korea’s former President Yoon Suk Yeol protested a Constitutional Court's ruling that removed him from office, urging his immediate return, Yonhap News reported.
• At least six people were injured when mortar rounds struck two residential neighborhoods in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, an official said.
• India and Sri Lanka signed several memorandums of understanding (MoU), including one on defense cooperation, as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Colombo.
• Thomas Muller said he will be leaving Bayern Munich at the end of the season, bringing an end to his decorated 25-year career with the German club.
• Lt. Co/ Nuur Farey, a senior commander of the Somali national army, was shot dead by a man in military uniform, an official said.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his forces held talks with British Chief of Defense Staff Adm. Tony Radakin and French Armed Forces Chief Gen. Thierry Burkhard to discuss security cooperation and the potential deployment of a partner security contingent in Ukraine.
• Hundreds of protesters gathered in central London to voice opposition to the policies of US President Donald Trump and his tech-billionaire ally Elon Musk, as part of a wave of coordinated demonstrations taking place around the world.
• Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev discussed relations, regional cooperation and future meetings, according to a statement by the Uzbekistan Presidency.
• The US Department of Homeland Security mistakenly notified some Ukrainian refugees that they must leave the country immediately but later backtracked the statement, calling the alarming messages an error, CBS News reported.
• US warplanes carried out airstrikes on Saada in northern Yemen, targeting a shop and a nearby house, Houthi-affiliated media reported.
• A Houthi official condemned US President Donald Trump's stance on targeting "a tribal gathering" in Yemen.
• Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, released a video that showed two captives in the Gaza Strip pleading with Israelis to pressure their government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to act for their release.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Elon Musk bats for US-Europe zero-tariff deal

US billionaire Elon Musk expressed hope for a “zero-tariff” system between the United States and Europe that would "effectively create a free trade zone."

Joining Italy's right-wing populist League party event via video link, Musk told Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini: "At the end of the day, I hope it's agreed that both Europe and the US should move ideally, in my view, to a zero-tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America."

His remarks followed US President Donald Trump’s signing of an executive order Wednesday to impose reciprocal tariffs on countries worldwide -- a move that has contributed to market volatility.

• EU bank pledges $400M for Central Asia green projects

The European Investment Bank (EIB) signed four memorandums of understanding (MoUs) at the first EU-Central Asia Summit, pledging €365 million ($400 million) to support sustainable transport, water management and climate resilience in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The agreements signed in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, aim to mobilize up to €1 billion in total investment, aligned with the EU’s Global Gateway strategy.

The projects are expected to foster infrastructure growth, environmental protection and private sector development across the region.