Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi. AFP
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi. AFP
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi. AFP
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi. AFP

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi makes unprecedented address to Palestinians in Gaza


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Iran's President President Ebrahim Raisi delivered an unprecedented speech to an annual pro-Palestinian rally in the Gaza Strip on Friday.

The conservative leader urged Palestinians to press on with their struggle against Israel in an online speech to hundreds of supporters of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad militant group at a football stadium in Gaza City.

It was a rare display of Iran’s importance to the Hamas militant group that rules the territory.

His speech — the first of its kind to Palestinians — appeared to culminate years of quiet diplomacy aimed at mending a rift between Hamas and its long-time patron, Iran, over the devastating civil war in Syria.

Mr Raisi was speaking on Jerusalem Day, or Al Quds Day after the city’s Arabic name, which falls on the last Friday of Ramadan.

He criticised the Palestinian Authority's recent meetings with Israeli officials in Aqaba, Jordan, and Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

A surge of violence in Israel and the West Bank after an Israeli police raid at Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem last week served to undermine the summits, which sought to de-escalate soaring Israeli-Palestinian tensions.

“The initiative to self-determination is today in the hands of the Palestinian fighters,” Mr Raisi said, condemning the Palestinian Authority that rules parts of the West Bank not controlled by Israel.

During the ceremony, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yehiyeh Sinwar, celebrated that militants in southern Lebanon, Gaza and Syria had fired rockets into Israeli territory, describing the attacks as a response to the police raid on Al Aqsa Mosque — the third-holiest site in Islam .

“The response came like a simple electric shock,” Mr Sinwar said of the rocket fire.

For the past four decades, Al Quds Day parades have drawn thousands to the streets around the Middle East. The event is most dramatic in Iran, where crowds burn Israeli flags and chant pledges to liberate Jerusalem.

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  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia

UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri

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School counsellors on mental well-being

Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.

Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.

Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.

“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.

“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.

“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.

“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”

Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.

The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.

At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.

“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.

“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.

"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”

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Updated: April 15, 2023, 4:12 AM`