An Israeli peace activist whose brother was murdered by Hamas in last weekend’s attack is appealing for peace.
Noy Katsman’s older brother Hayim was killed on the kibbutz he had called home for nearly a decade.
Hayim lived in Holit, near the border between Gaza, Egypt and Israel. On October 7, Hamas militants poured into southern Israel and killed more than 1,300 people and kidnapped scores of others, resulting in a ferocious response from the Israeli military.
In the week since the attack, Israel has dropped roughly 6,000 bombs on the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated places on Earth.
More than 2,200 Palestinians have been killed in a bombing campaign that has already equalled the 2014 war, which lasted between July 7 to August 26.
Israel has told Gazans in the north they had until 4pm on Saturday to move to the south, a near impossible task.
Noy is adamant that Hayim would be horrified by Israel's response.
“I know my brother wouldn't have wanted this,” he said.
Hayim, like Noy, was a peace activist who spent his life advocating for solidarity with Palestinians.
A DJ, he even made playlists in Arabic.
“My brother was an activist for peace and for solidarity,” Noy, 27, told The National.
Noy, who studies anthropology and sociology in Germany, is now calling on Israel to stop its military offensive.
“I want you to keep on what my brother did and fight for peace and not agree to do stuff that will cause more violence and more hate,” he said, appealing to hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
“I beg you, I beg also my government, and the pilots and soldiers, who may be called to go into Gaza. Don’t agree. Protect the area around the Gaza Strip, but don’t agree to go in and kill innocent people.
Noy fears for Gaza’ future and its millions of inhabitants.
“My government wants us to believe that the only way we can handle the situation … is if we kill more Palestinians and we erase Gaza.”
Israel has long had a robust activist community that has increasingly been at odds with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his right wing allies and their like who have helped to whip up a fervour of fear and anger among many Israelis.
Noy has received angry messages from some Israelis for publicly calling for peace.
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
JERSEY INFO
Red Jersey
General Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the leader of the General Classification by time.
Green Jersey
Points Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the fastest sprinter, who has obtained the best positions in each stage and intermediate sprints.
White Jersey
Young Rider Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the best young rider born after January 1, 1995 in the overall classification by time (U25).
Black Jersey
Intermediate Sprint Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the rider who has gained the most Intermediate Sprint Points.
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESupy%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDani%20El-Zein%2C%20Yazeed%20bin%20Busayyis%2C%20Ibrahim%20Bou%20Ncoula%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFood%20and%20beverage%2C%20tech%2C%20hospitality%20software%2C%20Saas%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%20for%20six%20months%3B%20pre-seed%20round%20of%20%241.5%20million%3B%20seed%20round%20of%20%248%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeco%20Capital%2C%20Cotu%20Ventures%2C%20Valia%20Ventures%20and%20Global%20Ventures%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
