More than 90,000 people were displaced by the fighting in Gaza, the UN said, and more than 250 buildings were destroyed, including homes. AFP
More than 90,000 people were displaced by the fighting in Gaza, the UN said, and more than 250 buildings were destroyed, including homes. AFP
More than 90,000 people were displaced by the fighting in Gaza, the UN said, and more than 250 buildings were destroyed, including homes. AFP
More than 90,000 people were displaced by the fighting in Gaza, the UN said, and more than 250 buildings were destroyed, including homes. AFP

Fragile Gaza ceasefire takes hold amid violence at Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque


Rosie Scammell
  • English
  • Arabic

Israelis and Palestinians awoke to a fragile ceasefire on Friday after the 11-day war in Gaza, with celebrations marred by further violence at Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque compound.

Gazans cheered and whistled as the pre-dawn truce came into effect, pouring out on to streets that had been deserted during the fighting. Fireworks lit up the sky over occupied East Jerusalem.

Both sides have claimed victory, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heralding the conflict as an “exceptional success”.

“We achieved our goals in the operation,” he said of the conflict, which has been the deadliest round of fighting between Israel and Gaza militants in seven years.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said the militant group had successfully fought against Israel.

“We will rebuild what the occupation [Israel] destroyed and restore our capabilities,” he said.

Israel and Hamas have warned that their commitment to the ceasefire, brokered by Egypt, depends on their respective enemy maintaining the peace.

A senior Israeli military official said its strikes had set Hamas back years and damaged “most of their underground tunnel capabilities”.

Israel recorded more than 4,300 rockets fired from Gaza, while the military official said the armed forces had hit “thousands” of targets.

The Gaza war erupted on May 10 after weeks of violence around occupied East Jerusalem, with tension inflamed by Israeli police officers’ use of force at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound.

There were violent scenes once again at the holy site on Friday, where a paramedic said security forces had used rubber bullets.

Mohammad Fityani, Jerusalem spokesman for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, said medics had treated around 20 people.

Worshippers had packed into the mosque compound, the third holiest site in Islam, with some waving Palestinian flags. Police said officers had responded to a “riot” during which people threw rocks and petrol bombs.

Palestinians also clashed with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, with people wounded by live fire around Bethlehem, Hebron and Nablus, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Hours earlier, US President Joe Biden said Washington would maintain its “quiet and relentless diplomacy” to secure safety and security for Israelis and Palestinians.

“I believe we have a genuine opportunity to make progress and I’m committed to working for it,” the president said, while also pledging humanitarian aid to Gazans.

In the Palestinian coastal enclave, residents emerged from school shelters and damaged homes to assess the devastating impact of intense Israeli shelling.

More than 90,000 people were displaced by the fighting, the UN said, and more than 250 buildings were destroyed, including homes.

A long-awaited delivery of medical supplies reached Gaza on Friday, the World Health Organisation said, which included vital blood bags and coronavirus vaccines.

Sixty-six children were among the 243 people killed in Gaza, while more than 1,900 were wounded, according to the enclave’s health ministry.

Some 30 health facilities in Gaza were damaged or destroyed by the conflict, while bombs hit ambulance routes and a fuel shortage cut services at a cancer treatment centre, the WHO and other aid agencies said.

In Israel, restrictions on movement near the border were lifted as residents passed a day without sirens and shelters.

Ten people were killed by rocket fire in Israel and 119 injured, according to the country’s Magen David Adom emergency services.

Agencies contributed to this report.

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Last-16

France 4
Griezmann (13' pen), Pavard (57'), Mbappe (64', 68')

Argentina 3
Di Maria (41'), Mercado (48'), Aguero (90 3')

Nepotism is the name of the game

Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad. 

The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index

The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index

Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.

The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.

“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.

“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”

Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.

Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.

“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.

Match info

Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335

Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs

Russia's Muslim Heartlands

Dominic Rubin, Oxford

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

At Eternity’s Gate

Director: Julian Schnabel

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen

Three stars

While you're here
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

The%20Caine%20Mutiny%20Court-Martial%20
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The Africa Institute 101

Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction. 

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Pros%20and%20cons%20of%20BNPL
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates