Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Israel’s total war expenditure has soared to 124.7 billion shekels ($34.06 billion) since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, its Finance Ministry said on Monday.
Spending rose to 99.9 billion shekels last year, up from about 24.8 billion shekels in 2023 when Israel began its military campaign in the enclave.
The annual budget deficit widened by nearly 77 per cent last year as the government spent more to finance wars against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The country’s budget deficit stood at 136.2 billion shekels in 2024, up from 77.1 billion shekels the year before, a ministry statement read.
The deficit for last year amounted to 6.9 per cent of Israel's gross domestic product, up from 4.1 per cent in 2023.
The conflict in Gaza began 15 months ago when Hamas and other militant groups launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, resulting in more than 1,200 deaths and the abduction of about 250 people.
Israel retaliated with a large-scale military operation, leading to a devastating humanitarian crisis. According to the government in Gaza, the war has claimed the lives of about 46,600 Palestinians and injured in excess of 109,730. The war has also displaced about 2.3 million Gazans.
Israel significantly expanded its military operations last year, launching a ground invasion of Lebanon, engaging in "tit-for-tat" attacks with Iran and recently mounting incursions into Syrian territory in the Golan Heights, west of Damascus, to expand a buffer zone.
In November, a ceasefire deal to end more than a year of conflict between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah took effect.
On a monthly basis, Israel’s budget deficit came in at 19.2 billion shekels for December, up from 12.2 billion shekels the month before.
Israel's war is adversely affecting its economy and experts have warned a prolonged conflict could push the country into recession.
In October, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) lowered its projection for Israel's economic growth in 2025, forecasting a GDP growth rate of 2.7 per cent, down from the 5.4 per cent projected last April.
Israel's economy is forecast to grow by 4 per cent this year and 4.5 per cent in 2026, after a 0.6 per cent growth rate last year, the Bank of Israel said this month.
After three consecutive quarters of slow growth, the economy showed slight improvement in the third quarter, expanding at an annualised rate of 3.8 per cent.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Fight card
Bantamweight
Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) v Rey Nacionales (PHI)
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROM) v Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR)
Catch 74kg
Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) v Omar Hussein (JOR)
Strawweight (Female)
Weronika Zygmunt (POL) v Seo Ye-dam (KOR)
Featherweight
Kaan Ofli (TUR) v Walid Laidi (ALG)
Lightweight
Leandro Martins (BRA) v Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW)
Welterweight
Ahmad Labban (LEB) v Sofiane Benchohra (ALG)
Bantamweight
Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR)
Lightweight
Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Glen Ranillo (PHI)
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) v Aidan Aguilera (AUS)
Welterweight
Mounir Lazzez (TUN) Sasha Palatnikov (HKG)
Featherweight title bout
Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR)
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Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Honeymoonish
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
