Bin Zayed offers his condolences to Erdogan for the martyrdom of Turkish soldiers in a terrorist attack in northern Iraq

UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan expressed his condolences to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the martyrdom of 9 Turkish soldiers as a result of a terrorist attack in northern Iraq.

The account of the Turkish Presidency’s Communications Department on the X platform stated on Sunday that the Emirati and Turkish presidents discussed bilateral relations during a phone call.

He added that the two sides "exchanged messages of unity against terrorism" between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

On Friday, 9 Turkish soldiers were martyred during clashes with terrorists as they attempted to infiltrate a Turkish base in northern Iraq.

During the past years, Turkish forces, in cooperation with the Syrian National Army, carried out the “Euphrates Shield,” “Olive Branch,” and “Peace Spring” operations in northern Syria, against the terrorist organizations ISIS and PKK/YPG.

Through the three operations, it cleared thousands of kilometers of terrorists and provided the opportunity for hundreds of thousands of Syrians to safely return to their lands.

$24 billion cost of the Gaza war..Israel’s budget deficit rises to 6.6% in 2024

The Israeli Ministry of Finance expected the cost of the war on Gaza in its draft budget for 2024 to reach about 85 billion shekels ($24 billion), amid fears of a significant increase in the level of the budget deficit.

The Ministry of Finance stated, according to the draft 2024 budget, which will be voted on on Sunday evening, and its main figures were published by the Globes economic newspaper, that the cost may fall to 70 billion shekels ($19 billion) if American aid is taken into account.

According to the amended draft budget that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will present today to the government, the fiscal deficit ceiling will be raised from previous estimates of 2.2% of GDP to 6.6%.

Israeli economic officials warned last week that raising the deficit to this level entails great risks.

The government is scheduled to vote today on the amended budget for the year 2024. The vote was postponed last week due to disagreements between the Ministry of Finance and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who opposed the budget.

The Finance Ministry said in a statement last week: “Without taking fundamental measures to curb the structural deficit, and without a decrease in the ratio of government debt to GDP, the reliability and strength of the Israeli economy is at risk of harm.”

The budget proposal stipulates a fixed reduction of 3% in the budget of government ministries, in order to fall within the financial framework acceptable for voting on it.

Within this, the Ministry of Finance seeks to reduce the number of government jobs in 2024-2025, and the government budget allocated for advertising, consulting, and training will be reduced.

Israel recorded a deficit in the 2023 budget, amounting to 4.2% of GDP, at a value of 77.5 billion shekels ($20.7 billion), after recording a slight surplus in 2022.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said on Thursday: “The state budget deficit jumped by about 0.8% in December, reaching a total of 4.2% of the gross domestic product in 2023, or 77.5 billion shekels.”

By today, Sunday, the bloody war on the Gaza Strip will complete 100 days, after it broke out on October 7, 2023, amid a state of Palestinian and international anticipation to achieve “international justice and punish Israel for its crimes.”

As of yesterday, Saturday, January 13, 2024, the Israeli war on Gaza left 23,843 martyrs and 60,317 injured, according to the Gaza Strip authorities.