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Turkish Airstrikes Kill 17 Kurdish Militants in Northern Iraq, Ministry Says 

A member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) carries an automatic rifle on a road in the Qandil Mountains, the PKK headquarters in northern Iraq, on June 22, 2018. (AFP)
A member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) carries an automatic rifle on a road in the Qandil Mountains, the PKK headquarters in northern Iraq, on June 22, 2018. (AFP)
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Turkish Airstrikes Kill 17 Kurdish Militants in Northern Iraq, Ministry Says 

A member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) carries an automatic rifle on a road in the Qandil Mountains, the PKK headquarters in northern Iraq, on June 22, 2018. (AFP)
A member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) carries an automatic rifle on a road in the Qandil Mountains, the PKK headquarters in northern Iraq, on June 22, 2018. (AFP)

Türkiye's military conducted airstrikes in northern Iraq and "neutralized" 17 members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the defense ministry said on Monday.

Türkiye, which typically uses the term neutralized to mean killed, has been carrying out a cross-border operation called Claw-Lock in Iraq as part of its offensive against PKK militants.

The PKK, which has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, is designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.

Türkiye has also launched military incursions in Syria against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), regarding it as a wing of the PKK.

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EU’s Top Diplomat Criticizes Israeli Minister’s Call to Cut off Aid to Gaza 

22 July 2024, Belgium, Brussels: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell speaks during a press conference after the EU Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels. (Francois Lenoir/EU Council/dpa)
22 July 2024, Belgium, Brussels: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell speaks during a press conference after the EU Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels. (Francois Lenoir/EU Council/dpa)
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EU’s Top Diplomat Criticizes Israeli Minister’s Call to Cut off Aid to Gaza 

22 July 2024, Belgium, Brussels: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell speaks during a press conference after the EU Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels. (Francois Lenoir/EU Council/dpa)
22 July 2024, Belgium, Brussels: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell speaks during a press conference after the EU Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels. (Francois Lenoir/EU Council/dpa)

The European Union’s top diplomat says it should consider sanctions in response to calls by Israel’s far-right national security minister to cut off aid to Gaza.

Writing on the X platform late Sunday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the recent remarks by Itamar Ben-Gvir constitute “incitement to war crimes,” adding that “sanctions must be on our EU agenda.”

In his own post on X and in media interviews, Ben-Gvir said that instead of agreeing to a potential ceasefire deal, Israel should block the entry of humanitarian aid and fuel to Gaza until Hamas releases all of the hostages, saying that doing so would bring the militant group to its knees.

Ben-Gvir has also repeatedly called for Israel to permanently reoccupy Gaza, rebuild Jewish settlements there and encourage the “voluntary” migration of Palestinians from the territory.

Ben-Gvir, a key member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition, has threatened to bring the government down if it makes too many concessions in the ceasefire talks.

Borrell called on Israel’s government to “unequivocally distance itself from these incitements to commit war crimes,” and to engage “in good faith” with cease-fire negotiations mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.

The United States and Israel’s other Western allies have repeatedly voiced concern about the killing of Palestinian civilians and Israeli restrictions on aid operations in the 10-month-old war. But they continue to provide vital military and diplomatic support for its offensive.