Israel returns bodies of 84 Palestinians taken from their graves

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

Israeli forces have handed over the remains of 84 people exhumed from cemeteries in Gaza, Palestinian authorities have said.

The bodies of the Palestinians were taken from graves in the Turkish cemetery, south-west of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip, state news agency Wafa reported.

Al Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza had said on Monday that it was making preparations to receive the bodies.

In January, Geneva-based Euromed Human Rights Monitor said Israel had “desecrated hundreds of graves” and “stole bodies” from across 12 Gaza cemeteries.

Israel has said it exhumed bodies to discover if they were remains of hostages taken by Hamas on October 7.

On Monday, the Palestinian enclave's Health Ministry said that Gaza's ambulance and emergency services no longer have the capacity to “respond to all calls and missions”.

At least 131 ambulances have been the target of Israeli attacks since the war began on October 7, Gaza's media office said in its latest tally, adding that 126 were completely taken out of service.

Paramedics and first responders have also been detained and killed by Israeli forces while carrying out their duties as the siege continues to obstruct the delivery of spare parts and fuel needed for the vehicles.

At least 310 health workers have been arrested and 885 killed since the start of the war, according to the tally.

In addition to the incapacitated emergency services, northern Gaza no longer has functioning laboratories or hospitals, the ministry added, while blood banks have shut down in the southern city of Rafah.

“We want to appeal to international bodies and institutions to bring blood units from outside the Gaza Strip,” the ministry said.

At least 40 people have been killed and 71 others were injured in three Israeli attacks between Sunday and Monday, health authorities announced.

This brings the death toll to more than 39,600 people killed and 91,469 wounded since the war began.

Israeli war ships fired at Nuseirat refugee camp on Monday morning. More Israeli shelling hit the south of Gaza city, while air strikes hit the east of Khan Younis.

The Israeli military raided several cities and demolished homes in the occupied West Bank, killing a woman and arresting five men, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported on Monday.

Palestinian paramedics inspect a destroyed ambulance in Khan Younis, the Gaza Strip, on July 16, 2024. AFP

Those arrested include Bilal Hamamra, 19, Zaid Hamamra, 22 and Marwan Zaoul, Zaki Zaoul and Muhammad Abu Yabes, all 21, according to Wafa.

The five, from the village of Husan west of Bethlehem, were arrested on Monday morning during a raid on their homes.

Meanwhile, Palestinian detainee Wafaa Jarrar, 50, died of her injuries two months after she was arrested in her home in Jenin.

Ms Jarrar was hurt during her arrest and had “her legs amputated from above the knee”, the Prisoners' Affairs Authority and the Prisoners' Club said.

“We hold the occupation fully responsible for the martyrdom of Jarrar, who is one of dozens of detainees who have been injured since the beginning of the war of extermination, and have been subjected to systematic medical crimes,” it added.

Company Profile:

Name: The Protein Bakeshop

Date of start: 2013

Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani

Based: Dubai

Size, number of employees: 12

Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)

Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme

Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
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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
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Pandemic Parenting

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How much of your income do you need to save?

The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.

In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)

Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.

House-hunting

Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove

Edinburgh, Scotland
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Glasgow, Scotland
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Kensington and Chelsea, London
Highlands, Scotland
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RESULT

Wolves 1 (Traore 67')

Tottenham 2 (Moura 8', Vertonghen 90 1')

Man of the Match: Adama Traore (Wolves)

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

HWJN

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FIXTURES

Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)

Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)

Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)

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.

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