Serdar Dincel
02 March 2025•Update: 02 March 2025
ISTANBUL
Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Sunday, with Israel accepting a US proposal for temporary Gaza ceasefire, Ukraine and UK signing a loan deal for arms production in Ukraine, and the US secretary of state signing a declaration to expedite the delivery of $4B in US military assistance to Israel.
TOP STORIES
Israel said Sunday that it agreed to a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during Ramadan and Passover, following a proposal from US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, hours after the first phase of a ceasefire was set to expire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that half of the hostages in Gaza, dead and alive, will be released, and the remaining captives would be freed once a permanent ceasefire is reached.
It said Witkoff proposed extending the ceasefire after determining that additional time was needed for negotiations on a permanent truce.
Egyptian and Qatari mediators, Hamas, and Witkoff have yet to comment on Israel's statement.
The Palestinian resistance group’s spokesperson Hazem Qassem reaffirmed earlier in a statement to Anadolu its “commitment to implementing all phases of the agreement.”
A ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement has been in place since January, pausing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza that has killed more than 48,360 victims, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
Ukraine and the UK signed a loan agreement that will be "directed toward weapons production in Ukraine," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday.
The Ukrainian president stated in an X post that he and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer had "a meaningful and warm meeting," where they discussed the challenges facing Ukraine and Europe, joint coordination, steps to strengthen Ukraine's position vis-a-vis Russia, and ending the war with a just peace and security guarantees.
Stating that Starmer gave "a principled statement of support," he noted that the agreement "will enhance Ukraine’s defense capabilities and will be repaid using revenues from frozen Russian assets."
Meeting between Zelenskyy and Starmer, which took place during Ukrainian president's visit to the UK, came after a heated exchange Friday between Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump, and Vice President JD Vance at the White House.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday he expedited the delivery of $4 billion in military assistance to Israel.
"I have signed a declaration to use emergency authorities to expedite the delivery of approximately $4 billion in military assistance to Israel," Rubio said in a statement.
"The decision to reverse the (former) Biden Administration’s partial arms embargo, which wrongly withheld a number of weapons and ammunition from Israel, is yet another sign that Israel has no greater ally in the White House than President Trump," he added.
His statement came one day after the State Department said it approved potential foreign military sales to Israel worth $3 billion, which include munitions, guidance kits, and Caterpillar D9 bulldozers.
NEWS IN BRIEF
French President Emmanuel Macron said a just and lasting peace cannot be achieved by abandoning Ukraine.
US President Trump signed an executive order Saturday to make English the official language of the nation.
UK Prime Minister Starmer held separate and constructive phone calls with the presidents of the US and France after meeting Ukrainian President Zelenskyy at Downing Street on Saturday, according to media reports.
Hamas reaffirmed its willingness Saturday to cooperate with any initiative to counter attempts to displace Palestinians and reconstruct the Gaza Strip, provided that Palestinian rights remain untouched.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to the UAE president, met with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi on Saturday to discuss “ways to enhance economic and trade relations between the neighboring countries,” according to the Emirates News Agency.
US Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham on Saturday urged European nations to take greater responsibility for defending Ukraine and the continent.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier criticized Trump for arguing with Zelenskyy in a heated White House meeting.
A second wave of emails requiring US federal employees to report their weekly activities began circulating, as part of a government-wide efficiency drive led by billionaire Elon Musk.
Pope Francis spent Saturday night calmly after a bronchospasm crisis and related deterioration of his breathing. He did not experience another crisis and his condition is stabilizing, according to the Vatican.
Lebanese Druze politician Taymur Jumblatt rejected proposals by certain factions to establish a federal system which he described as "partition projects," according to media reports.
SPORTS
- International Football Association Board approves new rule for time-wasting by goalkeepers
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) announced that a new rule was approved for time-wasting by goalkeepers.
The IFAB, after the 139th Annual General Meeting in Belfast, Northern Ireland, unanimously decided to amend a law about indirect free kicks, which means if a goalkeeper holds the ball for longer than 8 seconds -- with the referee using a visual five-second countdown -- the referee will award a corner kick to the opposing team.
The law previously stated that a goalkeeper has six seconds to release the ball before the opposing team is awarded an indirect free kick but it was rarely enforced by officials.
Separately, there is a new addition to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) protocol as there will be an option for the referee to make an announcement after a VAR review or lengthy VAR check.
