Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
A prominent Israeli politician has denounced Benjamin Netanyahu's insistence on keeping troops in Gaza's border strip with Egypt, calling the move "a scam" and saying the Israeli Prime Minister is using the issue to sacrifice Israeli and Palestinian civilians for political reasons.
"Philadelphi is a scam. It's fake. Netanyahu never mentioned it before," Hadash member Ofer Cassif told The National, using the Israeli name for the Salah Al Din corridor. "It's lies upon lies – all for political survival."
Mr Cassif has been one of the most vocal Israeli critics of the war and Israel's occupation of Palestine. He almost lost his parliamentary seat as a result, surviving a February vote against him after he signed a petition supporting South Africa's genocide case at the International Court of Justice.
"I said it months ago – had the government loved the Israelis more than they hated the Palestinians, the hostages would have been home ages ago," he said. "Unfortunately, that is not the case. The government doesn't care about the well-being or life of anyone. Netanyahu, time and time again, has foiled any possibility of a deal to release the hostages on purpose."
Crowds descended once again on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Thursday, carrying mock coffins to represent the six hostages found dead in a Rafah tunnel on Saturday. Three of them were reportedly on a list of hostages to be released in a July ceasefire deal.
"If Netanyahu continues as planned, more hostages will be killed," Gil Dickman, whose cousin Carmel Gat was killed in Gaza, told crowds in Tel Aviv. Roni Adar, whose cousin's body is being held in the enclave, said: "Bibi [Mr Netanyahu] – there's only one way to save the hostages, and that's to sign a deal."
Mr Netanyahu gave two press conferences this week to defend his stance on keeping troops in the Salah Al Din corridor, which he claims is vital to Hamas weapons supplies. The area could also be used to transfer hostages to Iran and Yemen through Egypt.
While the White House has said a ceasefire deal must include an Israeli withdrawal from the corridor, US officials say Hamas remains the "main obstacle" to a ceasefire in Gaza, where almost 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began in October last year. But Hamas has said it is committed to the principles of the ceasefire proposal.
Regardless of the strategic advantages of the border strip, many Israelis, particularly hostage families, have called on Mr Netanyahu to withdraw from the corridor to make a deal happen – with the mother of hostage Almog Sarusi saying he was "sacrificed for Philadelphi and Rafah".
While Mr Netanyahu insists the corridor is necessary to prevent Hamas from rearming and repeating the October 7 attack on Israel, critics maintain that he is prolonging the war to protest his political career. He faced corruption charges and massive protests against planned judicial reforms before the war began.
Netanyahu 'doesn't care'
Speaking to the press on Monday, the grandson of elderly hostage Oded Lifshitz said he hoped Mr Netanyahu would withdraw troops from the corridor and sign a ceasefire deal soon.
"Stop losing the time for our hostages," Daniel Lifshitz said, hours before a general strike was announced by Israel's largest trade union to push for a deal. "We will do everything to make pressure inside Israel, that Israel will do everything to take the deal. I hope they will change the decision about the Philadelphi corridor."
Mr Cassif, who met this week with the parents of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, among the six recovered from Gaza, said: "[Mr Netanyahu] doesn't care about the lives of the hostages, he doesn't care about the lives of the soldiers, he doesn't care about the thousands and thousands of people who have been evacuated from their homes in the north of Israel.
"The government has destroyed Gaza to ashes and sacrificed the lives of hostages and soldiers on the altar of their own political survival.
"Hersh and the others – all of them, and many before – could have been home months ago, but the government didn’t do anything. They have foiled any chance to release them on purpose. I’ve brought this up in the Knesset plenum before, but I didn’t have enough time – only three to five minutes – to bring up all the incidences where he has foiled a deal."
Mr Cassif accused Mr Netanyahu of using Israeli soldiers as "cannon fodder" and said more international pressure needed to be put on the Israeli cabinet to secure a deal.
"None of these things could have happened without the active support of the US and other European countries. Biden and his cabinet have been criticising Netanyahu over the deal, but they keep arming Israel and veto [UN] Security Council decisions to keep the war," he said.
"The US bears a lot of responsibility for the continuing massacre, and the fate of the hostages. They're not supporting Israel, they're supporting the government of Israel. You have to distinguish the two."
Global Fungi Facts
• 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
Scoreline
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Ad Astra
Director: James Gray
Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones
Five out of five stars
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RESULTS
1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m
Winner: Lady Parma, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.15pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m
Winner: Tabernas, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash.
2.45pm: Handicap Dh95,000 1,200m
Winner: Night Castle, Connor Beasley, Satish Seemar.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,400m
Winner: Mystique Moon, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
3.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Mutawakked, Szczepan Mazur, Musabah Al Muhairi.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner: Tafaakhor, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner: Cranesbill, Fabrice Veron, Erwan Charpy.
Oscars in the UAE
The 90th Academy Awards will be aired in the UAE from 3.30am on Monday, March 5 on OSN, with the ceremony starting at 5am
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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HEADLINE HERE
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RESULTS
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,000m
Winner: AF Mozhell, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)
2.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Majdi, Szczepan Mazur, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
3pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: AF Athabeh, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: AF Eshaar, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi
4pm: Gulf Cup presented by Longines Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Al Roba’a Al Khali, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Younis Al Kalbani
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Apolo Kid, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muahiri
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 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
FIXTURES
Fixtures for Round 15 (all times UAE)
Friday
Inter Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Saturday
Atalanta v Verona (6pm)
Udinese v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Juventus (11.45pm)
Sunday
Lecce v Genoa (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (6pm)
SPAL v Brescia (6pm)
Torino v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Parma (9pm)
Bologna v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
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Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
BRIEF SCORES
England 228-7, 50 overs
N Sciver 51; J Goswami 3-23
India 219, 48.4 overs
P Raut 86, H Kaur 51; A Shrubsole 6-46
England won by nine runs
'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
Rating: 3.5/5
Essentials
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes.
Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes.
In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes.
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Six things you need to know about UAE Women’s Special Olympics football team
Several girls started playing football at age four
They describe sport as their passion
The girls don’t dwell on their condition
They just say they may need to work a little harder than others
When not in training, they play football with their brothers and sisters
The girls want to inspire others to join the UAE Special Olympics teams
