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Gazans have expressed mixed emotions over leaflets dropped on parts of Khan Younis on Wednesday by the Israeli army, which feature verses of the Quran.
The verse itself, "and the flood carried away the wrongdoers", comes from surat Al Ankabout, a chapter narrating the story of the Prophet Noah, who escaped God's punishment of sinners by drowning them in a flood.
Amjad Al Fayoumi, a resident of Khan Younis who received the leaflet, said there were "no instructions pertinent to us and whether we should stay here or move elsewhere".
"It sounds like they were trying to mock us," he added. "I don't know who they are trying to refer to with the word 'wrongdoers'."
Saleh Al Jafarawi, another Khan Younis resident, told The National: "It's not clear what they mean. Are they trying to employ some sort of psychological tactic?
"It's silly and trivial of them to use a verse from the Quran, which they don't even understand the context of, or when it was revealed. They don't even know what the next verse is."
Another post on X, formerly Twitter, read: "The Israelis seem to be directing this verse at civilians. Israel wants to deliver a message to the people that they would be lost in the flooding that Hamas's operation was named after," a reference to the so-called Al Aqsa Flood of October 7, when the militant group stormed southern Israel.
"But we tell them that this narrative has no impact on us – we're martyrs to God," the post added.
The Israeli army rejected The National's request for comment, though earlier a spokesman did not deny reports that Israeli forces are considering killing Hamas fighters by flooding their underground tunnels.
Displaced Gaza city resident Mshahed Abu Tarabsheh, who is now in Khan Younis, said Israeli attempts at delivering threatening messages to Palestinians in Gaza were falling on deaf ears.
"The Israelis couldn't reach the resistance fighters, so they took it out on civilians. They want to tell us, the displaced, who lived through two wars – in Gaza city and now in Khan Younis – that Hamas is the oppressor and wrongdoer and that they're the ones responsible," she said.
"But we know who the wrongdoers are. We don't need to explain this to them and they won't get their messages across, no matter how many leaflets they drop on us."
Children learn sounds of shelling
The continuing war, which has killed more than 16,200 people so far, including at least 7,000 children, has had wider implications on Gaza's young, who were once oblivious to the horrors of war.
They can now distinguish between types of shelling, a Palestinian Red Crescent photographer told The National.
Mohammad Mansour, who is also a father, has been documenting the war since it began, accompanying medics as they respond to emergencies.
His family home was partially destroyed and is uninhabitable. They moved to his brother's house, which was subsequently destroyed in air strikes. Mr Mansour decided to bring his family to Al Amal Hospital, where they have been for 60 days.
"When my son used to ask me about the sounds he was hearing, I kept telling him 'they're people celebrating nearby'," he said. "'Shots fired during weddings and birthdays.' Then he questioned why the sounds are becoming stronger, and why the celebrations are scary."
Mr Mansour said his four-year-old son Ahmad has learnt to distinguish between air strikes and tank fire.
"This is the language they're now using and used to," he said. "This is going to have a massive impact on the children of this war, if they survive. It's going to change who they are, how they think and how they grow."
23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
WHAT ARE NFTs?
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are tokens that represent ownership of unique items. They allow the tokenisation of things such as art, collectibles and even real estate.
An NFT can have only one official owner at one time. And since they're minted and secured on the Ethereum blockchain, no one can modify the record of ownership, not even copy-paste it into a new one.
This means NFTs are not interchangeable and cannot be exchanged with other items. In contrast, fungible items, such as fiat currencies, can be exchanged because their value defines them rather than their unique properties.
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L - Tottenham, 4-0
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L - Sporting, 4-1
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THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
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Sunday, January 20
3pm: Jordan v Vietnam at Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
6pm: Thailand v China at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
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Monday, January 21
3pm: Japan v Saudi Arabia at Sharjah Stadium
6pm: Australia v Uzbekistan at Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
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Tuesday, January 22
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British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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