Displaced Palestinians in Rafah collect food donated by a charity before iftar on the first day of Ramadan. AFP
Displaced Palestinians in Rafah collect food donated by a charity before iftar on the first day of Ramadan. AFP
Displaced Palestinians in Rafah collect food donated by a charity before iftar on the first day of Ramadan. AFP
Displaced Palestinians in Rafah collect food donated by a charity before iftar on the first day of Ramadan. AFP

At least nine killed as Israeli forces fire at Gazans waiting for aid


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At least nine people were killed and 17 injured when Israeli forces opened fire at the Kuwaiti roundabout in Gaza city on Monday night, a medic at Al Shifa Hospital said.

Witnesses said the victims were among a crowd waiting for aid lorries to arrive.

The medic told The National the hospital had received bodies of those who had been shot and others who were crushed by overcrowding.

“Most of the injuries were in the upper parts of the body,” they said.

Witnesses said the number of casualties was higher and some bodies could not be recovered due to intense firing by Israeli forces.

The incident came less than two weeks after the deaths of more than 100 people, when Israeli forces opened fire at a crowd waiting for aid lorries at the Nabulsi roundabout near Gaza city on February 29.

Most of those killed had suffered gunshot wounds, said staff at Al Shifa and other hospitals where bodies and hundreds of injured people were taken. The Israeli military said its troops had fired only at those who approached them and claimed most of the dead had been crushed as crowds rushed the aid convoy.

Marwan Abu Khattar said he was one of the thousands gathered at the Kuwaiti roundabout on Monday “to be able to bring aid and provide food and drink to our families who couldn't find anything to break their fast on the first day of Ramadan”.

“It was very dark with no lighting and the only sounds were of people and sometimes the sound of gunfire from the army,” he told The National.

“Around midnight, the soldiers began firing at the youth and I saw with my own eyes more than one of them fall and collapse.

“People collapsed while they were far away from the soldiers and tanks and no one approached them or tried to attack them, as they claim every time.”

Issa Al Muqaid, another resident of northern Gaza, said he saw people being shot by snipers.

“I was standing there with three guys, one of whom was hit, and we transferred him to the hospital,” he said. "The shooting was direct from a sniper, using a red laser [sight].

“I have gone out multiple times to try to get flour to feed my three kids and my elderly mother because I can't buy it at these very high prices.

“Salaries have not been paid for six months and there is no aid.”

There was no immediate comment on the incident from the Israeli military.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said aid delivery on the ground in Gaza is proving particularly challenging after the World Food Programme was forced to end its operations in the north of Gaza due to the security situation.

"The aid is now often self-distributed by the population," Ms von der Leyen said in a speech at the European Parliament. "And we have all seen the dramatic images. We must ensure the safety of the distribution of aid within Gaza."

Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned that hunger in Gaza is reaching crisis levels because of inadequate supplies of aid, particularly in northern Gaza.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health said the number of people who have died from malnutrition and dehydration had risen to 27. The number was for people reported dead in hospital, not those who have died elsewhere, ministry spokesman Dr Ashraf Al Qudra said.

More than 31,100 people have been killed since the war began on October 7, and 72,889 injured, the ministry said. Thousands more remain under rubble and out of reach of ambulance and emergency crews. More than 70 per cent of the victims are civilian women and children, the ministry said.

In the occupied West Bank, Israel carried out an operation on Jenin refugee camp, injuring two people, one of whom it arrested along with two others, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

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A new relationship with the old country

Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates

The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:

ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.

ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.

ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.

ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.

DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.

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The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.

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More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.

The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.

The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.

A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.

Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.

Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.

Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.

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Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019. 

Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.

Updated: March 12, 2024, 2:39 PM