Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
The city of Al Arish, which had held significant volumes of aid bound for Gaza, finds itself oddly quiet four days after a ceasefire deal allowed the entry of humanitarian assistance to resume. The lifting of restrictions under the truce has sparked an increase in aid shipments travelling to the Rafah crossing, with lorries lining the roads leading to Egypt's border with Gaza.
Since the war in Gaza began on October 7 2023, Al Arish has served as the main city for aid destined for the enclave, with supplies piling up in warehouses and storage units amid Israeli restrictions on the border.
“All the action is at Rafah now,” said an Egyptian Red Crescent officer in the city. “No more lorries must come and unload or wait here in Al Arish. The crossing is fully open now, so they usually go straight there and wait outside there instead of coming here.”
Shipments of blankets, undergarments and winter clothes have continued to enter Gaza through Egypt since Sunday, according to Abdo Nasr, a driver at the Rafah border crossing delivering a shipment of blankets.
Drivers of the large aid lorries, sent to the Egypt-Gaza border since the start of the war, have had to endure long wait times at the border due to repeated closures of the crossing by the Israeli military, which has been in control of the Rafah crossing since May.
“It’s a really hard job but it’s only a small part of what we have to do for our Palestinian brothers to whom I want to offer my deepest apologies that we couldn’t do more to stop their suffering. So many of them were killed. I am happy to be a part of getting whatever Palestinians need for them in Gaza, it makes me proud,” Mr Nasr said.
Ibrahim Asaad, 34, is parked near the entrance of the Tahya Misr tunnel in Ismailia, which cuts under the Suez Canal and into the Sinai Peninsula. He has been waiting in a queue of what he described as “thousands of lorries” for the past two days. He is waiting on clearance from Egypt’s General Intelligence Service (GIS) to cross into Sinai. Mr Asaad is carrying World Food Programme food packages, which he loaded from a warehouse in Cairo, according to his shipment manifesto which he shared with The National.
The shipments were sent to Egypt by the WFP on October 2 but have been in storage since due to border closures.
Clearance from the GIS to enter the Sinai Peninsula is a routine procedure, even for tourists. The GIS has been one of the main Egyptian agencies involved in ceasefire talks and handles the movement and security permits of both people and goods in and out of Gaza, in co-ordination with the Israeli army.
The drivers of the aid lorries are employed by contractors who are granted rights by the government to distribute aid, a representative from Sina Scape, a company sending WFP food packages to Gaza, told The National. Relief is also sent by charities.
Once they arrive in Rafah, drivers are given a number and wait before entering Gaza.
Queues and searches
“We, the drivers, are not entirely clear on who gets to enter first and for what reasons. We are sure that it is not on a first come first serve basis, because some contractors’ lorries enter with minimal searches while others wait for weeks and months to enter,” said Mr Nasr.
When it is their turn to enter, they are notified by their company and are asked to drive to the crossing, where they are searched by the Egyptian military first then once again by representatives of Abnaa Sina – a trading and contracting firm owned by the pro-government Bedouin magnate Ibrahim Al Organi.
“After the military is done with searching us, we drive a little further down where agents in vests that read Abnaa Sina and Al Organi Group search us again. These searches are different from the military checkpoints because they are usually searching for contraband being snuck into Gaza that previous checks might have missed,” said Mr Asaad.
“Many drivers had made a habit throughout the war of smuggling cigarettes into Gaza. There had been shortages inside the strip and cigarettes were being sold for US dollars to agents inside. Many have been caught by the military or Al Organi’s people,” he claimed.
Once past the searches, the lorries proceed to Israeli inspection points, which often present a challenge.
Ahmed Husseiny, a driver waiting at Rafah with a shipment of shoes, said he had been parked at the border for 20 days as part of the group of vehicles awaiting entry into the enclave before the ceasefire.
Mr Husseiny described the unpredictable nature of the crossing in December, with the Israelis allowing only a handful of lorries through each day. “Some days, the Israelis would close the crossing and we would have to wait. Some days, they would allow in two or three lorries. Other days they would allow a little more or a little less.”
After entering through the Awga border crossing on Sunday night and waiting at the inspection unit until Monday morning, Mr Husseiny said he was denied entry and was asked to return to the Egyptian side to obtain a new queue number. He believes this was due to an altercation with an Israeli soldier who accused him of trying to run him over, an allegation he denies.
“The Israeli officer who searched my documents was very rude and aggressive. They are often that way. Very rough and always ready to take offence,” he said. Upon returning to the Egyptian side, an intelligence officer reviewed security footage from the incident and cleared Mr Husseiny to rejoin the queue.
After passing the Israeli checkpoints, the aid lorries currently unload their cargo at the Karam Abu Salem, where it is transferred to UN vehicles for distribution within the enclave. However, this process is expected to change soon, as the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing undergoes repairs after damage sustained during Israeli bombardments.
The Egyptian Red Crescent officer reported that between 10 and 15 lorries carrying construction equipment, including bulldozers, cranes and building materials, entered Gaza to allow the repair work. The crossing is anticipated to be operational by Sunday.
During a media conference in Rafah on Tuesday, North Sinai Governor Khaled Megawer announced that the border crossing was no longer closed. However, he said repairs were necessary before aid shipments could resume to the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, rather than at Karem Abu Salem under Israeli supervision.
This shift marks a return to the prewar aid delivery process, where drivers would cross directly to the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing to unload their cargo without the additional step of passing through an Israeli-controlled checkpoint.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
|
1.
|
United States
|
|
2.
|
China
|
|
3.
|
UAE
|
|
4.
|
Japan
|
|
5
|
Norway
|
|
6.
|
Canada
|
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
|
8.
|
Australia
|
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
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
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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
more from Janine di Giovanni
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
WORLD'S%2010%20HIGHEST%20MOUNTAINS
%3Cp%3E1.%09Everest%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%09K2%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%09Kangchenjunga%0D%3Cbr%3E4.%09Lhotse%0D%3Cbr%3E5.%09Makalu%0D%3Cbr%3E6.%09Cho%20Oyu%0D%3Cbr%3E7.%09Dhaulagiri%0D%3Cbr%3E8.%09Manaslu%0D%3Cbr%3E9.%09Nanga%20Parbat%0D%3Cbr%3E10.%09Annapurna%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes.
The trip
From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.
RESULT
Bournemouth 0 Southampton 3 (Djenepo (37', Redmond 45' 1, 59')
Man of the match Nathan Redmond (Southampton)
Racecard
6.35pm: American Business Council – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.10pm: British Business Group – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,200m
7.45pm: CCI France UAE – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
8.20pm: Czech Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,400m
8.55pm: Netherlands Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.30pm: Indian Business and Professional Council – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m
Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Match info
Liverpool 4
Salah (19'), Mane (45 2', 53'), Sturridge (87')
West Ham United 0
The cost of Covid testing around the world
Egypt
Dh514 for citizens; Dh865 for tourists
Information can be found through VFS Global.
Jordan
Dh212
Centres include the Speciality Hospital, which now offers drive-through testing.
Cambodia
Dh478
Travel tests are managed by the Ministry of Health and National Institute of Public Health.
Zanzibar
AED 295
Zanzibar Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, located within the Lumumba Secondary School compound.
Abu Dhabi
Dh85
Abu Dhabi’s Seha has test centres throughout the UAE.
UK
From Dh400
Heathrow Airport now offers drive through and clinic-based testing, starting from Dh400 and up to Dh500 for the PCR test.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
Essentials
The flights
Etihad (etihad.ae) and flydubai (flydubai.com) fly direct to Baku three times a week from Dh1,250 return, including taxes.
The stay
A seven-night “Fundamental Detox” programme at the Chenot Palace (chenotpalace.com/en) costs from €3,000 (Dh13,197) per person, including taxes, accommodation, 3 medical consultations, 2 nutritional consultations, a detox diet, a body composition analysis, a bio-energetic check-up, four Chenot bio-energetic treatments, six Chenot energetic massages, six hydro-aromatherapy treatments, six phyto-mud treatments, six hydro-jet treatments and access to the gym, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Additional tests and treatments cost extra.
AUSTRALIA SQUADS
ODI squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Twenty20 squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
PROFILE BOX:
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Rami Salman, Rishav Jalan, Ayush Chordia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Technology, Sales, Voice, Artificial Intelligence
Size: (employees/revenue) 10/ 100,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($800,000)
Investors: Eight first-round investors including, Beco Capital, 500 Startups, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Hala Fadel, Odin Financial Services, Dubai Angel Investors, Womena, Arzan VC
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Haltia.ai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Arto%20Bendiken%20and%20Talal%20Thabet%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241.7%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self%2C%20family%20and%20friends%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
