Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
The latest Israeli strike on a refugee camp in Rafah will hurt the efforts to establish a ceasefire and hostage release deal, Egyptian sources told The National on Monday.
Egypt strongly condemned an attack on a refugee camp in Rafah on Sunday night which killed at least 45 people, in what Cairo called a “deliberate” strike.
On Monday, an Egyptian soldier was shot and killed on the Gaza border by Israeli soldiers, worsening diplomatic tensions.
The circumstances of the shooting were unclear. Both Egypt and Israel said they were investigating the incident.
Cairo has been engaged in months-long efforts, together with fellow mediators Qatar and the US, to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire.
“The latest attack in Rafah will certainly hurt the continuing contacts to resume the negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and a deal to release hostages held by Hamas,” one of the sources said. “That’s 100 per cent.”
The sources said while Sunday’s attack on Rafah is set to widen the rift between Egypt and Israel, Cairo would continue its mediation efforts.
Discussions between the mediators with Israel and Hamas are set to resume next week, a source said. Talks were paused earlier this month when Israel rejected demands made by Hamas.
Qatar also voiced similar remarks in its condemnation of the Rafah attack. It said it feared the attack would “complicate continuing mediation efforts and hinder reaching an agreement for an immediate and permanent ceasefire”.
Last week, Egypt threatened to withdraw from mediating a ceasefire after a CNN report that intelligence officials had quietly changed the terms of a recent proposal. However, sources indicate that Cairo is willing to continue the talks.
On Monday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry called on Israel to introduce last week’s order from the International Court of Justice to halt its military operations in Rafah.
Cairo also reinforced its forces in the Sinai Peninsula, near the border, placing them on high alert.
It described the attack as a “new flagrant violation of the provisions of international humanitarian law.” The attack was part of a “systematic policy aimed at widening the scope of death and destruction in the Gaza Strip to make it uninhabitable,” the ministry said.
Israel defended the attack, saying it had killed two senior Hamas officials and that reports of civilian casualties and injuries were “under review”.
“The strike was carried out against legitimate targets under international law,” the Israeli army said.
Egypt has traditionally viewed Gaza as a matter of national security, seeking to maintain a significant level of leverage in the enclave.
Egypt was the first Arab country to establish ties with Israel. Both countries are bound by a US-sponsored peace treaty signed in 1979, but their relations have been fraught with tension since the start of the war in Gaza.
Relations fell to a new low when Israel’s military seized the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza on May 7.
The Israeli move drew an angry response from Cairo, which last week said it was intervening in support of South Africa’s case before the ICJ accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
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
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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.
