Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
A prolonged communications blackout that severed telephone and internet connections compounded the misery on Saturday in Gaza, where a UN agency said hunger levels have spiralled.
Internet and phone lines went down on Thursday evening and were still inaccessible on Saturday morning, according to internet access advocacy group NetBlocks.org.
The outage hampered aid deliveries and rescue efforts as the war stretched into the 11th week.
“The internet blackout is ongoing, and based on our records it is the longest such incident” in the over-two-month war, said Alp Toker, NetBlocks.org's director.
The UN's humanitarian affairs department said communications with Gaza were “severely disrupted” due to damage to telecommunications lines in the south.
The war has flattened much of northern Gaza and driven 85 per cent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million from their homes.
Displaced people have squeezed into shelters mainly in the south in a spiralling humanitarian crisis.
The US, Israel’s closest ally, has expressed unease over its failure to reduce civilian casualties and its plans for the future of Gaza, but the White House continues to offer support with weapons shipments and diplomatic backing.
Meanwhile, dozens of Palestinians were killed in Gaza on Saturday in Israeli air strikes, Palestinian media reported.
At least 14 people died in strikes that hit two houses on Old Gaza Street in Jabaliya and dozens more were killed in a separate strike that hit another home in Jabaliya, according to the official Palestinian Wafa news agency.
The agency also reported that a large number of civilians were trapped under rubble.
With civilian casualties mounting, the Palestine Red Crescent said three days of communication blackout in Gaza posed “significant challenges” for their team trying to reach the wounded and patients.
People have been unable to call the 101 emergency service as Israel’s bombardment and ground offensive in the south intensified.
Unable to reach loved ones
Soha Ammar, who lives in Gaza and uses a digital eSIM to access the internet despite the power outage, told The National the Israeli army is trying to hide its crimes from the world.
“But we are overcoming their actions and we will keep posting what is happening in Gaza and let the world see the violence of this immoral army,” she said.
Palestinians who live outside Gaza said they are worried because they cannot contact their relatives inside the enclave.
“I feel suffocated because I don't know about my family,” Nihaya Khader, who lives in the US, told The National.
Nihaya’s family members are still in Gaza city and haven’t relocated to the south.
“I start my day by calling my family and being sure they are OK. Now, I feel like my life is paralysed as I can’t reach them.” Nihaya added.
“For the fifth time, the army has deliberately cut off communications from the Gaza Strip since the start of the war,” the media office in Gaza said in a statement.
Without food
As the war rages, several international aid agencies have warned of a looming hunger crisis in Gaza.
The UN World Food Programme has said half of Gaza's population is starving as Israel's military assault on the south expands and cuts people off from supplies.
The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency said on Thursday that crowds of hungry people were stopping its aid lorries in Gaza, making it almost impossible to continue delivering aid.
“Hunger has emerged over the last few weeks and we meet more and more people who haven't eaten for one, two or three days,” Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA's Commissioner General, told reporters at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva.
Several videos on social media show families and children queuing up for food and in some cases returning with empty pots.
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) also warned of a “real and unprecedented famine” in the Gaza Strip, which began in northern Gaza and Gaza city.
“The situation monitored by our teams confirms that tens of thousands of families in the Gaza Strip spend their entire day and several days without a meal and that they share crumbs of the little that’s available, due to the lack of distribution of the already limited humanitarian aid entering Gaza,” the PCHR said in a statement.
Most of the humanitarian aid has been concentrated in Rafah, since the start of the Israeli ground invasion in Khan Younis.
With only a trickle of aid able to enter and distribution disrupted by fighting, the UN’s World Food Programme reported that the percentage of displaced households experiencing severe hunger jumped to 56 per cent from 38 per cent in under two weeks.
In the north, where aid has been unable to enter, “households … are expected to face a catastrophic situation,” the WFP said.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
More on Quran memorisation:
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.
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
Five personal finance podcasts from The National
To help you get started, tune into these Pocketful of Dirham episodes
·
Balance is essential to happiness, health and wealth
·
What is a portfolio stress test?
·
What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested?
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How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies
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Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?
The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Juliot Vinolia’s checklist for adopting alternate-day fasting
- Don’t do it more than once in three days
- Don’t go under 700 calories on fasting days
- Ensure there is sufficient water intake, as the body can go in dehydration mode
- Ensure there is enough roughage (fibre) in the food on fasting days as well
- Do not binge on processed or fatty foods on non-fasting days
- Complement fasting with plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood. Cut out processed meats and processed carbohydrates
- Manage your sleep
- People with existing gastric or mental health issues should avoid fasting
- Do not fast for prolonged periods without supervision by a qualified expert
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Smart words at Make Smart Cool
Make Smart Cool is not your usual festival. Dubbed “edutainment” by organisers Najahi Events, Make Smart Cool aims to inspire its youthful target audience through a mix of interactive presentation by social media influencers and a concert finale featuring Example with DJ Wire. Here are some of the speakers sharing their inspiration and experiences on the night.
Prince Ea
With his social media videos accumulating more half a billion views, the American motivational speaker is hot on the college circuit in the US, with talks that focus on the many ways to generate passion and motivation when it comes to learning.
Khalid Al Ameri
The Emirati columnist and presenter is much loved by local youth, with writings and presentations about education, entrepreneurship and family balance. His lectures on career and personal development are sought after by the education and business sector.
Ben Ouattara
Born to an Ivorian father and German mother, the Dubai-based fitness instructor and motivational speaker is all about conquering fears and insecurities. His talk focuses on the need to gain emotional and physical fitness when facing life’s challenges. As well managing his film production company, Ouattara is one of the official ambassadors of Dubai Expo2020.
