Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Residents of Gaza once considered schools runs by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, as places of refuge. But they have now become synonymous with danger after suffering repeated Israeli attacks in the current Israel-Gaza war.
Despite this, families living in the schools say they have little choice amid the widespread devastation caused by nearly nine months of bombardment and a ground offensive by the Israeli military.
Sohaib Al Masri, 41, moved with his family to a school in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza shortly after war broke out in October. His home in the nearby Beit Hanoun area was destroyed in an Israeli bombing that left one of his eight children paralysed.
“Schools are supposed to be safe and not subject to any targeting,” he told The National. “Throughout our lives, in any war or escalation, we have sought refuge in schools because they are said to be protected by international law, and attacks on them are strictly prohibited.”
But the Ayyubid School, where his family was living in the Abu Zaytoun area of Jabalia, was hit by Israeli tank fire last month when troops invaded the camp, he said.
According to the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, six schools in Jabalia run by UNRWA were targeted by Israeli shelling and gunfire during the fighting between soldiers and Palestinian militants.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on Tuesday that 190 of the agency's sites in Gaza had been “hit or damaged or targeted” since the war began – “more than half the number of premises and the infrastructure that we have in the Gaza Strip”.
“These premises and these shelters are also used by the population to seek what remains as a possible protection. But more than 500 people so far have been killed while seeking UN protection,” Mr Lazzarini told a meeting of the agency's advisory commission in Geneva.
He said UNRWA and other UN agencies had “paid a heavy price” in the war.
“More than 200 humanitarian staff have been killed, among them 193 only from my own organisation,” he said.
They are among more than 37,700 people killed and 86,000 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the territory's health ministry.
The war began after the Hamas militant group killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostage in an attack on southern Israel on October 7.
Mousa Sawy, a 46-year-old father of nine, was severely injured in an attack on an UNRWA school in the Al Fakhoura area of northern Gaza, where his family was living after their home in Tel Al Zaatar was destroyed in the early days of the war.
“At the beginning of the war, I went through a very tough experience when I got injured at [the] UNRWA-run school in Al Fakhoura,” Mr Sawy told The National.
“I was there with my wife, lighting a fire to cook for the children, and suddenly, an Israeli missile struck. I suffered a severe abdominal injury that kept me in pain for three months, and my wife and daughters also sustained minor injuries. Many people were martyred that day,” he said.
The family moved to another UNRWA school and live in a classroom, which Mr Sawy said was better than living in a tent in hot weather without any facilities, as many displaced Gazans have been forced to do.
“Here we can be reached for aid and water [deliveries], but no one will look for us outside the school or in a tent,” he said.
However, they live in fear of another attack.
“We believed when we moved to the schools that it would be a safe place for us, especially since they have the United Nations logo and are well-known locations to the Israeli army,” Mr Sawy said. “Schools are no longer safe, and targeting them has become normal without affecting global opinion.
“Every minute, we imagine that we will be targeted and bombed because, literally, there is no safe place left in Gaza.”
Mr Al Masri and his family, who returned to the Ayyubid School in Jabalia after the fighting ended, also say they live “in constant fear of Israeli shelling or targeting”.
“In previous wars, there were not many attacks on schools, but in this war, everything has changed,” he said.
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
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Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
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Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
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Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
The biog
Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
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- Premier League-standard football pitch
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heading
Iran has sent five planeloads of food to Qatar, which is suffering shortages amid a regional blockade.
A number of nations, including Iran's major rival Saudi Arabia, last week cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of funding terrorism, charges it denies.
The land border with Saudi Arabia, through which 40% of Qatar's food comes, has been closed.
Meanwhile, mediators Kuwait said that Qatar was ready to listen to the "qualms" of its neighbours.
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Match info
Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335
Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs
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Brief scoreline:
Wolves 3
Neves 28', Doherty 37', Jota 45' 2
Arsenal 1
Papastathopoulos 80'
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
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How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
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The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
