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Several Palestinian civilians and health workers were killed as air strikes on the Gaza Strip continued on Monday despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the war would wind down.
Mr Netanyahu said the current phase of intense fighting would end "very soon" and the army would be shifting to more targeted operations against Hamas. He reaffirmed the war would not end until the group is defeated.
He said this would allow for some Israeli forces to be redeployed to the north, along the Lebanese border, where clashes with Hezbollah have intensified and concerns of a wider war there grow.
But residents told The National talks of reduced operations are "all lies" and that the exact opposite is taking place on the ground.
"After the intense phase is finished, we will have the possibility to move part of the forces north. And we will do this," the Prime Minister told pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 on Sunday in his first broadcast interview since the start of the war.
Similar comments were made by Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant ahead of his visit to Washington where he is set to discuss the situation in Gaza and Lebanon with US officials.
“The transition to Phase C in Gaza is of great importance. I will discuss this transition with US officials, how it may enable additional things and I know that we will achieve close co-operation with the US on this issue as well,” Mr Gallant said of the aim to reduce operations in the besieged enclave.
But despite these claims of fighting being scaled down, air strikes across the strip continue to inflict casualties and locals say the exact opposite is taking place.
“We've heard a lot that the Israeli army has moved to the third phase in northern Gaza and according to the media this phase is supposed to involve more targeted strikes and a decrease in the intensity of the war," Muhi Al Din, a resident of Gaza city, told The National on Monday.
"But what we see today is the opposite of what we're hearing."
Two health workers were killed in Israeli strikes in central Gaza, Wafa news agency reported on Monday. Gaza's Health Ministry said the director of the Ambulance and Emergency Department was killed while the Israeli army said it had killed a senior Hamas commander.
The ministry said the killing of Hani Al Jaafarawi raised the number of medical staff killed since October 7 to 500.
"The intensity of the attacks hasn't decreased, on the contrary, they are clearly increasing," Mr Al Din said of the targeting of central and northern Gaza.
Mona Kahlout, who also lives in Gaza city, said: “The talk about reduced bombings is all lies, the shelling hasn't stopped for us here in the north."
She said people were afraid to leave their homes because of the bombing.
"Hunger is consuming us and death surrounds us everywhere," but the risk to search for food is too high, she said.
On Sunday night, eight Palestinians were killed in a strike on a training college run by the UN Palestinian refugee agency near Gaza city, Reuters reported.
The Israeli army said the site was being used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants. The Palestinian groups deny accusations they use civilian infrastructure for military purposes.
Residents said Israeli tanks were advancing into Rafah, reaching Al Mawasi refugee camp where hundreds of displaced Palestinians are taking refuge.
Palestinian Civil Defence said at least seven others were killed in a separate strike on Sabra neighbourhood in Gaza city.
Officials have said the third and final phase of the Israeli offensive in Gaza would see fighting winding down to smaller-scale operations.
In terms of continuing ceasefire efforts, Mr Netanyahu said he was ready for a partial deal under which about 120 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza would be returned but he remained "committed to continuing the war after a pause, in order to complete the goal of eliminating Hamas".
Hamas and Israel appear to be distancing themselves further from the US-backed ceasefire proposal despite efforts by mediators to bring them closer to an agreement.
Under the three-phase ceasefire plan, the remaining hostages would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians detained in Israel. Hamas has insisted it would not release the captives unless Israel commits to a permanent ceasefire and full withdrawal from Gaza. Mr Netanyahu's remarks indicate he rejects a deal that would put an end to the fighting without the Palestinian militant group's defeat.
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
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THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Age 26
Born May 17, 1991
Height 1.80 metres
Birthplace Sydney, Australia
Residence Eastbourne, England
Plays Right-handed
WTA titles 3
Prize money US$5,761,870 (Dh21,162,343.75)
Wins / losses 312 / 181
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
