June 20, 2023

*) Israeli raid kills five Palestinians, injures dozens of others in occupied West Bank Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank have killed five Palestinians in a raid that marked a rare use of Israeli airpower in the occupied Palestinian territory. The Palestinian health ministry said five people were killed and at least 91 others were wounded in the violence on Monday. The Israeli military also deployed an Apache helicopter, which fired missiles in the residential areas of Jenin. The raid was the latest in more than a year of near-daily Israeli violence that has wracked the occupied West Bank. *) China's Xi meets Blinken as US seeks to ease soaring tensions with Beijing China’s President Xi Jinping welcomed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing as the top American diplomat wrapped up his two-day high-stakes visit to the Chinese capital. Blinken’s visit is aimed at easing soaring tensions between the world's two largest economies. Blinken is the highest-level US official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office, and the first secretary of state to make the trip in five years. Following the meeting, Blinken said he agreed with China's leadership on the need to "stabilise" relations but also acknowledged that the two countries have vast disagreements. *) Türkiye military says it 'neutralised' two high-ranking PKK terrorists in northern Iraq The Turkish military has announced that it "neutralised" two high-ranking PKK members in northern Iraq. The suspects were targeted in the Operation Claw-Lock zone. The military said a large number of arms and ammunition, including rifles, rounds of bullets, a grenade launcher, night vision binoculars and a camera were seized in the operation. Ankara has been carrying out several operations in northern Iraq to root out the PKK who are suspected of hiding in those areas and plotting cross-border attacks on Türkiye. *) $1.5 billion pledged for Sudan as UN warns further 'death and destruction' Donors have pledged nearly $1.5 billion in aid for the h