Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Hamas believes the scores of hostages it took during an attack on Israel give it enough leverage to free all Palestinians currently in Israeli jails, the group's officials said amid a multilateral effort to secure their release as its war with Israel intensifies.
Militants from Hamas took scores of hostages after rampaging through southern Israeli communities and military bases on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people. Israel's military has said Hamas is holding 199 hostages in Gaza while the Palestinian group's armed wing, the Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigades, claimed they are holding between 200 and 250.
“The hostage situation is very important for us. The world wants to talk about Israeli hostages; from our side, we have 300 child prisoners in Israel, we have 60 women who are political prisoners, and thousands of our young men as well,” Osama Hamdan, the Palestinian group's representative in Lebanon, told The National.
Mr Hamdan said that the Israeli hostages – both civilian and military – would remain a bargaining chip for the release of Palestinians jailed by Israel.
“Any talks about the Israeli soldiers have to begin with a discussion about the freedom of those Palestinians first,” he said.
Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigades said about 22 of the hostages were killed in Israel's bombardment of Gaza, which has caused more than 2,800 deaths in the blockaded territory.
Attempts to negotiate the release of the hostages by countries with ties to Hamas, such as Qatar and Turkey, have had no success so far.
The Israeli military and Hamas held each other responsible for the welfare of the captives.
“We hold Hamas completely responsible for the welfare of both Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza. Any deaths or harm is on them not us,” Lt Col Avichay Adraee, who heads the Israeli military's Arab media division, told The National.
Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal said in a television interview on Monday that the group “has what it needs” to free all Palestinians in Israeli jails.
“Israel is speculating about the number of hostages and the resistance has enough to exchange and release our own prisoners in Israeli jails. We also are making sure that Israeli military hostages are treated differently from civilians and foreigners,” Mr Meshaal said in the interview with Al Araby TV.
The Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigades said after his remarks that non-Israeli hostages were being “treated as guests” who would be released when the security situation on the ground improved.
“We are holding a group of detainees of different nationalities, these are our guests and we seek to protect them. We will release detainees of different nationalities when circumstances on the ground allow,” spokesman Abu Obeida said.
The foreign captives are believed to include Israelis who also hold citizenship of other countries, including the US, and citizens of countries including Thailand and Germany.
Sources from Qatar’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that they had begun talks with Hamas and relayed the group's conditions to their US counterparts to pass on to Israel.
Qatar, which hosts Hamas's top political leaders, tried to negotiate a deal for the exchange of captured Israeli women and children for Palestinian ones in Israeli jails.
“From our side, we’ve passed on that offer during the past week, but Israel has so far not entertained that exchange at all,” a diplomatic source from Qatar told The National.
Qatar is in a position to negotiate with Hamas but faces difficulty speaking with Israel as they have not formally established ties. Doha recently negotiated the release of three Ukrainian children who had been taken to Russia under a mechanism it set up for similar future releases.
A source from Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said officials hope to “bank on their success of Russia and Ukraine” in playing a larger role between Israel and Hamas.
Turkey, another ally of Hamas, is also making efforts to mediate a deal between the group and Israel. Turkey and Israel re-established formal ties last August after years of tensions.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed his government was “working intensively” with all parties for the release of captives but also hit out at “western provocations” that have hindered Ankara’s efforts.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh discussed the release of civilian hostages in a phone call on Monday.
The mediating roles of both Turkey and Qatar will play a major role as both Israel and Hamas have outright rejected any direct talks, especially over the hostages.
Israeli sources said the military had decided not to make public its efforts regarding the captives, choosing instead to focus on the war in Gaza while holding Hamas responsible for their well-being.
Israel and Hamas last exchanged prisoners in 2011 when Israel swapped hundreds of Palestinian prisoners to win the release of one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, who was held for five years.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Director: Paul Weitz
Stars: Kevin Hart
3/5 stars
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%C2%A0profile
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
RESULTS
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Dubai Rugby Sevens, December 5 -7
World Sevens Series Pools
A – Fiji, France, Argentina, Japan
B – United States, Australia, Scotland, Ireland
C – New Zealand, Samoa, Canada, Wales
D – South Africa, England, Spain, Kenya
57%20Seconds
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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How to help or find other cats to adopt
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
The essentials
What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
When: Friday until March 9
Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.
Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.
Information: www.emirateslitfest.com
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
The specs: 2018 GMC Terrain
Price, base / as tested: Dh94,600 / Dh159,700
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Power: 252hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 353Nm @ 2,500rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.4L / 100km
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
The%20specs
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