Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Donald Trump's Middle East envoy was back in Qatar on Sunday to press ahead with negotiations to reach a Gaza ceasefire and release of hostages as the latest push by Washington to end the war in the enclave gathers steam ahead of the republican president-elect's January 20 inauguration.
Sources said Steve Witkoff flew back to Qatar after a brief visit to Israel where he held talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night.
After their talks, Mr Netanyahu's office said he was dispatching the heads of the spy agency Mossad, its domestic spy agency Shin Bet and political and military advisers to Qatar to advance the talks, which have continued for a year without producing a deal.
The sources on Saturday said Hamas had softened its stance on some of its core conditions for a ceasefire, but that the two sides remain at odds over a range of issues.
“Mr Witkoff is now laying out the broad outlines of a deal, but some differences between Hamas and Israel remain unresolved,” said one of the sources. “There is a fine line now that, if we cross, we could have a deal. If we don't, the entire process will collapse.”
US President Joe Biden, who leaves office later this month, said on Thursday that there had been “real progress” in the Gaza talks, while Mr Trump has repeatedly warned Hamas that there will be “hell to pay” if it does not free the remaining captives before his inauguration.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that a deal is “very close” and he hoped to complete it before handing over diplomacy to the incoming Trump administration. But US officials have expressed similar optimism on several occasions over the past year.
The latest proposals to pause the war, the sources explained, provided for a 60-day truce during which Hamas will stagger the release of the hostages it has held since October 2023, when its fighters attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, kidnapping about 250 and causing the 15-month-old Gaza war.
Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza are believed to be holding close to 100 hostages. Israel's military says about 40 of them have died in captivity, but the sources say fewer than that have perished.
They said Hamas will free three hostages every week in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails. It wants Israeli troops to reposition outside urban centres during the release.
However, Hamas is refusing to meet Israel's demand for a list of all the hostages before the exchange begins. Israel also remains opposed to the release of several high-profile Palestinians sentenced to long jail terms on security-related charges, according to the sources.
Hamas has already agreed to an Israeli demand that the prisoners and their families leave the Palestinian territories and live in exile abroad upon their release.
The group is also now willing to accept verbal guarantees from the mediators – the US, Qatar and Egypt – as well as Turkey, that Israel will continue negotiations for a permanent ceasefire after the expiry of the proposed truce. It had previously demanded written guarantees.
Hamas has also agreed to put off resolving remaining differences with Israel to the second phase of the deal that commences at the expiry of the 60-day truce.
One of these is Israel's insistence on maintaining buffer zones in the eastern and northern fringes of Gaza, something that Hamas is said by the sources to be ready to tolerate for a time until resolved at a later
The latest push for a deal to end the war comes as more than 46,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and more than twice that number injured, according to figures from the Gaza Health Ministry. The majority of Gaza's 2.3 million people have also been displaced by the war, which has left large areas of built-up areas reduced to rubble.
The only truce in the Gaza war was in late November 2023, when the guns were silenced for a week. During that truce, Hamas released about 100 hostages in exchange for several hundred Palestinian prisoners.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
RESULT
Uruguay 3 Russia 0
Uruguay: Suárez (10'), Cheryshev (23' og), Cavani (90')
Russia: Smolnikov (Red card: 36')
Man of the match: Diego Godin (Uruguay)
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
WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS
England v New Zealand
(Saturday, 12pm UAE)
Wales v South Africa
(Sunday, 12pm, UAE)
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
OTHER IPL BOWLING RECORDS
Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008)
Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye
Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine
Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye
Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011)
Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018)
Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra
Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh
Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar
Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine
The biog
Date of birth: 27 May, 1995
Place of birth: Dubai, UAE
Status: Single
School: Al Ittihad private school in Al Mamzar
University: University of Sharjah
Degree: Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Hobby: I enjoy travelling a lot, not just for fun, but I like to cross things off my bucket list and the map and do something there like a 'green project'.
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.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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South Korea
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POWERWASH%20SIMULATOR
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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
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.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
