Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Employees and those reliant on the UN agency for Palestinian refugees are "deeply worried" for their future as the organisation's operations in Gaza and elsewhere in the occupied Palestinian territories may be forced to a halt on Thursday.
Israel's parliament passed legislation last October to stop UNRWA operating within Israeli-controlled territory and bar Israelis from interacting with it. This includes the occupied West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
The agency must cease its operations and evacuate all its premises in East Jerusalem on Thursday, the Israeli envoy to the UN, Danny Danon, told the UN Security Council on Tuesday.
The Israeli government has accused UNRWA staff of taking part in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the most recent war, as well as being closely linked to the militant group, a charge disputed by the agency.
Established in 1949, UNRWA has played a huge role in delivering aid and other assistance to Palestinian refugees in Gaza both before and after the war began. The body operated eight camps housing about 1.6 million people in the enclave and offers state-like services including the running of schools and hospitals. More than 300,000 children rely on the agency for their education.
UNRWA's 13,000 staff in the Gaza Strip now face an uncertain future, as Israel has not given details on how it plans to enforce October's legislation. An employee in its administrative sector told The National that if the agency ceases operations in Gaza, it will have a devastating effect on her future.
“When I became an UNRWA employee, I felt a sense of job security and relief, knowing I had a stable source of income,” she said. "But with this decision, I am now deeply worried about how I will find another means of supporting myself and my family."
She is the sole breadwinner for her family, which includes her father, sisters, nieces and nephews, and she has worked for the agency for four years. “If I lose my job, I don’t know how I will manage,” she said.
Many of UNRWA's employees also use its services, especially during the war, in which more than 47,400 people have been killed and 90 per cent of the population displaced. Up to a million people in Gaza have relied on UNRWA shelters during the conflict, which has paused due to a ceasefire which began on January 19.
The agency's Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said the ceasefire was being undermined by the Israeli decision. “Curtailing our operations now – outside a political process and when trust in the international community is so low – will undermine the ceasefire. It will sabotage Gaza’s recovery and political transition,” Mr Lazzarini said.
The extent of UNRWA's network in the Gaza Strip means it cannot easily be replaced, said Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council.
“UNRWA cannot be replaced by any other of the humanitarian organisations on the ground," he said. "We all rely on UNRWA’s logistical capacity. We operate in UNRWA's schools."
Many Palestinians who rely on UNRWA's services also fear what Thursday's ban will bring.
Nedaa Moghrabi, 38, a mother of five, has previously made use of medical offerings by the agency, which says it provides more than 63 per cent of primary healthcare services through its medical centres, with 1,100 staff working in Gaza.
“I rely on UNRWA for medical treatment and my children’s education” Ms Moghrabi told The National. "If it stops providing these services, how will I ensure my children receive health care and continue their schooling?
“Most of Gaza’s population depends on UNRWA's services. We continue to live under occupation, which deprives us of opportunities for a decent life. Every war destroys what little we manage to build. And now, they [the Israelis] are trying to force us to seek life elsewhere – something we absolutely refuse [to do]."
How the ban will affect UNRWA's work is yet to be seen, but spokeswoman Inas Hamdan said the agency would try to continue working.
“At UNRWA, our goal is to remain operational and continue providing essential services, as well as critical relief aid, to displaced persons and residents in Gaza and other occupied Palestinian territories," she told The National.
“We are speaking about essential, life-sustaining services that could be at risk of halting if such a decision is executed. Furthermore, education is a major concern. An entire generation has already lost a full academic year. Currently, 650,000 students are out of school and no other institution can take on this massive role of providing educational services alongside the many other critical functions that UNRWA fulfils.”
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Surianah's top five jazz artists
Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)
Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15
Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)
Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
Indian construction workers stranded in Ajman with unpaid dues
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Ten10 Cricket League
Venue and schedule Sharjah Cricket Stadium, December 14 to 17
Teams
Maratha Arabians Leading player: Virender Sehwag; Top picks: Mohammed Amir, Imad Wasim; UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Zahoor Khan
Bengal Lions Leading player: Sarfraz Ahmed; Top picks: Sunil Narine, Mustafizur Rahman; UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Rameez Shahzad
Kerala Kings Leading player: Eoin Morgan; Top picks: Kieron Pollard, Sohail Tanvir; UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Imran Haider
Pakhtoons Leading player: Shahid Afridi; Top picks: Fakhar Zaman, Tamim Iqbal; UAE players: Amjad Javed, Saqlain Haider
Punjabi Legends Leading player: Shoaib Malik; Top picks: Hasan Ali, Chris Jordan; UAE players: Ghulam Shabber, Shareef Asadullah
Team Sri Lanka Cricket Will be made up of Colombo players who won island’s domestic limited-overs competition
UAE central contracts
Full time contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Usman, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid
Part time contracts
Aryan Lakra, Ansh Tandon, Karthik Meiyappan, Rahul Bhatia, Alishan Sharafu, CP Rizwaan, Basil Hameed, Matiullah, Fahad Nawaz, Sanchit Sharma
Pathaan
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if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Seoul from Dh3,775 return, including taxes
The package
Ski Safari offers a seven-night ski package to Korea, including five nights at the Dragon Valley Hotel in Yongpyong and two nights at Seoul CenterMark hotel, from £720 (Dh3,488) per person, including transfers, based on two travelling in January
The info
Visit www.gokorea.co.uk
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic
Power: 169bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh54,500
On sale: now
CREW
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Persuasion
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
The Bio
Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959
Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.
He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses
Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas
His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s
Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business
He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery
Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all
The major Hashd factions linked to Iran:
Badr Organisation: Seen as the most militarily capable faction in the Hashd. Iraqi Shiite exiles opposed to Saddam Hussein set up the group in Tehran in the early 1980s as the Badr Corps under the supervision of the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The militia exalts Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but intermittently cooperated with the US military.
Saraya Al Salam (Peace Brigade): Comprised of former members of the officially defunct Mahdi Army, a militia that was commanded by Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and fought US and Iraqi government and other forces between 2004 and 2008. As part of a political overhaul aimed as casting Mr Al Sadr as a more nationalist and less sectarian figure, the cleric formed Saraya Al Salam in 2014. The group’s relations with Iran has been volatile.
Kataeb Hezbollah: The group, which is fighting on behalf of the Bashar Al Assad government in Syria, traces its origins to attacks on US forces in Iraq in 2004 and adopts a tough stance against Washington, calling the United States “the enemy of humanity”.
Asaeb Ahl Al Haq: An offshoot of the Mahdi Army active in Syria. Asaeb Ahl Al Haq’s leader Qais al Khazali was a student of Mr Al Moqtada’s late father Mohammed Sadeq Al Sadr, a prominent Shiite cleric who was killed during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba: Formed in 2013 to fight alongside Mr Al Assad’s loyalists in Syria before joining the Hashd. The group is seen as among the most ideological and sectarian-driven Hashd militias in Syria and is the major recruiter of foreign fighters to Syria.
Saraya Al Khorasani: The ICRG formed Saraya Al Khorasani in the mid-1990s and the group is seen as the most ideologically attached to Iran among Tehran’s satellites in Iraq.
(Source: The Wilson Centre, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation)
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE
Price, base / as tested Dh274,000 (estimate)
Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 245hp @ 4,200rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
