Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and senior Middle East officials agreed on the need to bolster humanitarian relief for Gaza after a meeting in Jordan on Saturday but disagreed over a permanent ceasefire in the month-long war between Hamas and Isreal.
Mr Blinken met foreign ministers from Jordan, Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, all US allies, as well as a senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The Secretary of State repeated a US call for a “humanitarian pause” and said maximum assistance must reach Palestinians in Gaza.
He told reporters that a ceasefire would allow Hamas to “regroup and repeat what they did on October 7“, referring to their surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,400 people and prompted massive Israeli retaliation.
The US wants Hamas, an Iran-supported group linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, to be defeated.
Before meeting Mr Blinken, the Arab officials discussed among themselves bringing an “immediate halt to the military operations” that have “victimised the innocent” and delivering humanitarian aid “immediately and urgently” to Gaza, according to the Saudi official news agency.
“It is necessary to achieve a unanimous agreement on a permanent and lasting ceasefire without any restriction or condition,” said Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
Mr Shoukry has also said Egypt would “spare no effort” in allowing the transfer of aid to Gaza.
Jordan's King Abdullah II met the Arab officials earlier in the day, telling them that “the duty” of Arab countries is to pressure “the active international powers” to stop the war in Gaza, official Jordanian TV reported.
King Abdullah “reaffirmed that the security or military solution will not succeed in ending the Arab-Israeli struggle”, it said.
Mr Blinken met the king separately on Saturday evening.
He met Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in the morning.
The meeting took place a day after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said “all options are on the table” in his first speech since cross-border clashes broke out between Israel and armed militant groups in Lebanon.
Hezbollah and other Iran-linked militias have not yet mounted sustained military operations that could trigger a regional war, observers said.
US and Arab officials have been also discussing postwar scenarios aimed at replacing Hamas with a more moderate administration in Gaza, western diplomats said.
Two Egyptian officials said on condition of anonymity that the US has sought to temper the Arab reaction to the Israeli operation, partly by adopting a tough line against any Iranian attempts to expand the war.
One of the officials said once the war is over, Washington will look to “internationalise” the Gaza Strip, possibly by convincing Arab states to join an international peacekeeping force and support the Palestinian Authority as a de facto replacement to Hamas in administering the area.
After repeated calls from its Arab allies for a ceasefire, the US last week called for a humanitarian pause in the Israeli operation.
A former US administration official told The National that fears over derailing an already fraught peace process between Saudi Arabia and Israel has contributed to tempering US rhetoric on Gaza.
“Conversations are happening in Washington and the Arab world to help alleviate at least part of the immediate needs in Gaza,” the former official said.
In a change in tone yesterday, Mr Blinken told reporters: “We’ve been clear that, as Israel conducts its campaign to defeat Hamas, how it does so matters.”
Hussein Al Sheikh, Secretary General of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation and an ally of Mr Abbas, is expected to be at the meeting with the Arab foreign ministers.
Mr Al Sheikh has assumed higher political and diplomatic profiles in the past several months. He is widely believed to be the planned successor of Mr Abbas, who is 87.
The Hamas attack on Israel included the abduction of 240 people, currently being held in Gaza.
The Israeli retaliatory bombardment of Gaza and subsequent ground invasion have reportedly killed more than 9,000 people.
Additional reporting by Kamal Tabikha and Hamza Hendawi in Cairo
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
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
The Kingfisher Secret
Anonymous, Penguin Books
Match info
Karnataka Tuskers 110-3
J Charles 35, M Pretorius 1-19, Z Khan 0-16
Deccan Gladiators 111-5 in 8.3 overs
K Pollard 45*, S Zadran 2-18
Find the right policy for you
Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.
Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.
Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.
Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.
If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.
Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.
Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
EXPATS
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