April 13, 2025

* Israel bombs Gaza's Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital Israeli military has carried out air strikes on the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in the central besieged Gaza. The attack destroyed the hospital's admissions and emergency building, which was hit by two missiles. The Gaza Media Office said Israel committed another horrific crime by bombing the hospital, which housed hundreds of patients, the wounded and medical staff. * Hamas delegation heads to Cairo for talks with mediators Meanwhile, Hamas has announced that a delegation, headed by senior official Khalil Al-Hayya, departed for Cairo to meet Egyptian and Qatari mediators as part of efforts to reach an agreement and end the Israeli onslaught against besieged Gaza. The Palestine resistance group has said there will be meetings and follow-ups with mediators from Qatar and Egypt, as part of ongoing efforts aimed at reaching an agreement and stopping the Zionist aggression. * BRICS members express 'serious concern' over US' reciprocal tariffs China has said that BRICS members discussed US reciprocal tariffs and expressed "serious concern" about trade tensions. Beijing said that Washington's tariffs have severely undermined the international trade system, disrupted global industrial and supply chains, and caused a prolonged impact on the world economy during the second meeting of the BRICS Contact Group on Economic and Trade Issues earlier this week. * Trump finds unlikely praise from Lavrov at Antalya Diplomacy Forum Amid widespread global criticism of US President Donald Trump for a series of controversial foreign policy decisions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov offered an unexpected endorsement during a freewheeling exchange at the 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum. Speaking on the second day of the high-profile international event, Lavrov said, “President Trump seems to understand much, much, much more about what is going on in Ukraine than any European leader, emphasising what he described as Trump’s nuanced grasp of the Russia-Ukraine conflict—unlike his European counterparts. * Turkish First Lady calls for peace to become 'prevailing force' Türkiye's first lady, Emine Erdogan, has called for peace to become the "prevailing force", adding that humanity cannot endure more conflict and wars. "On the contrary, it now expects areas of cooperation to be established, uncertainty to be resolved, and peace to become the prevailing force," Erdogan said in an address to the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (AFD).