White House says Trump envoy Witkoff to travel to Gaza on Friday
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the two officials will travel into Gaza to inspect the current food distribution sites and work on a plan to deliver more food there and meet with local Gazans to 'hear firsthand about this dire situation on the ground.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Italy to begin Gaza air drops: foreign minister
Italy said Friday it would begin air drops over Gaza, which UN-backed experts say is slipping into famine — the latest European country to do so. 'I have given the green light to a mission involving Army and Air Force assets for the transport and airdrop of basic necessities to civilians in Gaza, who have been severely affected by the ongoing conflict,' Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a statement. Italy's air force will work with Jordan's military to air drop special containers containing essential goods, he said. The first drops could come on August 9, he added. Spain on Friday said it had air-dropped 12 tonnes of food into Gaza, joining Britain and France, which have partnered with Middle Eastern nations to deliver sorely needed humanitarian supplies by air to the Palestinian enclave.
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
World economies reel from Trump's tariffs punch
Global markets reeled Friday after President Donald Trump's barrage of tariffs against nearly all US trading partners, as governments looked down the barrel of a seven-day deadline before higher duties take effect. Trump announced late Thursday that dozens of economies, including the European Union, will face new tariff rates of between 10 and 41 percent. However, implementation will be on August 7 rather than Friday as previously announced, the White House said. This gives governments a window to rush to strike deals with Washington under more favorable conditions. Neighboring Canada, one of the biggest US trade partners, was hit with 35 percent levies—up from 25 percent—effective Friday, though wide-ranging current exemptions remain in place. The tariffs are a demonstration of raw economic power that Trump sees as putting US exporters in a stronger position, while encouraging domestic manufacturing by keeping out foreign imports. But the muscular approach has raised fears of inflation and other economic fallout in the world's biggest economy. Stock markets in Hong Kong, London, and New York slumped as they digested the turmoil, while weak US employment data added to the concerns. Trump's actions come as debate rages over how best to steer the US economy, with the Federal Reserve this week deciding to keep interest rates unchanged despite massive political pressure from the White House to cut. Data released Friday showed US job growth missing expectations for July, while unemployment ticked up to 4.2 percent from 4.1 percent. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 dropped 1.6 percent, while the Nasdaq tumbled 2.2 percent. Political goals Trump raised duties on around 70 economies from a 10 percent level imposed in April, when he unleashed 'reciprocal' tariffs citing unfair trade practices. The new, steeper levels listed in an executive order vary by trading partner. Any goods 'transshipped' through other jurisdictions to avoid US duties would be hit with an additional 40 percent tariff, the order said. But Trump's duties also have a distinctly political flavor, with the president using separate tariffs to pressure Brazil to drop the trial of his far-right ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro. He also warned of trade consequences for Canada, which faces a different set of duties, after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. In targeting Canada, the White House cited its failure to 'cooperate in curbing the ongoing flood of fentanyl and other illicit drugs'—though Canada is not a major source of illegal narcotics. By contrast, Trump gave more time to Mexico, delaying for 90 days a threat to increase its tariffs from 25 percent to 30 percent. However, exemptions remain for a wide range of Canadian and Mexican goods entering the United States under an existing North American trade pact. Carney said his government was 'disappointed' with the latest rate hike, but noted that with exclusions, the US average tariff on Canadian goods remains one of the lowest among US trading partners. 'Tears up' rule book With questions hanging over the effectiveness of bilateral trade deals struck—including with the EU and Japan—the outcome of Trump's overall plan remains uncertain. 'No doubt about it—the executive order and related agreements concluded over the past few months tears up the trade rule book that has governed international trade since World War II,' said Wendy Cutler, senior vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute. On Friday, Trump said he would consider distributing a tariff 'dividend' to Americans. Notably excluded from Friday's drama was China, which is in the midst of negotiations with the United States. Washington and Beijing at one point brought tit-for-tat tariffs to triple-digit levels, but have agreed to temporarily lower these duties and are working to extend their truce. Countries that managed to strike deals with Washington to avert steeper threatened levies included Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, and the European Union. Among other tariff levels adjusted in Trump's latest order, Switzerland now faces a higher 39 percent duty.
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Israel intercepts Houthi missile fired from Yemen
The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen on Friday, which the Iran-backed Houthi militia said it had launched. 'Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted,' the Israeli military said. The Houthi militia targeted Israel's Ben Gurion airport 'using a 'Palestine 2' hypersonic ballistic missile,' their military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement. The Yemeni group has launched repeated missile and drone attacks against Israel since their Palestinian ally Hamas's October 2023 attack triggered the Gaza war. The Houthis, who say they are acting in support of the Palestinians, paused their attacks during a two-month ceasefire in Gaza that ended in March, but resumed them after Israel relaunched major operations. Israel has carried out several retaliatory strikes in Yemen, targeting Houthi-held ports and the airport in the rebel-controlled capital, Sanaa.
