Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Palestinians in Gaza marked a sombre start to the Eid Al Fitr holiday on Wednesday, following an Israeli air strike that killed more than a dozen civilians hours after Ramadan drew to a close.
Women and children were the majority of the 14 victims in the strike on Gaza's central Nuseirat refugee camp on Tuesday evening, the official Wafa news agency reported.
Footage posted to social media showed the dead bodies of several children laid out on the floor of a hospital in nearby Deir Al Balah.
Gaza's government media office condemned the "horrific massacre" of the Abu Yousef family and said Israel had killed the joy of Eid.
Israel ”continues to carry out its criminal and military acts … in clear disregard for the feelings of Muslims and the feelings of our Palestinian people,” it said in a statement on Telegram.
"The occupation was able to kill the joy of Eid in the Gaza Strip and deprive children, women and the people of Gaza from celebrating the atmosphere of Eid Al Fitr and surveying its beautiful atmosphere," it added.
As dawn broke, Palestinians gathered in tents and among the rubble of destroyed mosques to hold Eid Al Fitr prayers.
Survivors of the six-month war have told The National there is little festive spirit after the death of more than 33,300 people, most of them women and children.
The death toll continued to rise through Ramadan, after international stakeholders, including the US, failed in their objective of securing a ceasefire before the beginning of the holy month on March 11.
At least 2,370 people were killed and 3,200 were injured during Ramadan, according to collected numbers from the Gaza Ministry of Health. Almost 150 people were killed and 300 injured on March 14 into March 15.
Deaths surged during the final two days of Ramadan, with 275 Palestinians killed between Monday and Wednesday.
On Eid in Gaza city, teams are combing through the gutted remains of Al Shifa Hospital, what was Gaza's largest healthcare complex, in a bid to identify the hundreds of Palestinians estimated to have been killed in a two-week Israeli raid.
Teams from the World Health Organisation arrived at Al Shifa on Monday, where relatives of the victims are also searching for their loved ones.
Motasem Salah, director of the Gaza Emergency Operations Centre, described the scenes at the sprawling medical complex as "unbearable".
"The stench of death is everywhere," he told AFP as machinery dug through the rubble and rescue workers pulled decomposed bodies from the debris.
Mr Salah said Gaza lacked the forensics experts needed to identify the dead or determine what had happened to them, relying instead on delegations from the WHO and the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha).
Using wallets and documents that are strewn across the site, they are trying "to identify the decomposed bodies and the body parts that were crushed", he said.
The psychological impact of this "unwatchable" process on the families is unbearable, Mr Salah said in a WHO video from the scene shared with AFP.
"Seeing their children as decomposing corpses and their bodies completely torn apart is a scene that can't be described," he said. "There are no words for it."
Several worried relatives walked among what the WHO said were "numerous shallow graves" outside what was once the emergency department and the administrative and surgical buildings.
"Many bodies were partially buried with their limbs visible," it said in a statement after its first visit to the site on Friday.
Dozens arrested in West Bank
In East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, the start of Eid was also marred by violence, with at least a dozen people, including several children, arrested by Israeli forces.
Eight people were arrested in the West Bank town of Tulkarm, the site of regular Israeli raids in recent months, with another four, including three children, arrested in East Jerusalem, Wafa reported.
Other arrests were made in Hebron, Nablus and Beit Ummar, it added.
Israeli forces also continued with a four-day siege on the town of Jayyus, near Qalqilya, Wafa reported.
Soldiers raided several neighbourhoods and searched homes after tanks stormed the outskirts of Jayyus on Wednesday morning, it said.
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Specs
Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo V6
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 405hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 562Nm at 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.2L/100km
Price: From Dh292,845 (Reserve); from Dh320,145 (Presidential)
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
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Coethical
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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
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TOP%2010%20MOST%20POLLUTED%20CITIES
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
The five pillars of Islam
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5.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday, February 8 v Kenya; Friday, February 9 v Canada; Sunday, February 11 v Nepal; Monday, February 12 v Oman; Wednesday, February 14 v Namibia; Thursday, February 15 final
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 two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
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Under 19 Cricket World Cup, Asia Qualifier
Fixtures
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