Egyptian mediators had the impression that Israel would resume bombing Gaza after the Israeli negotiators they met this week told them that Hamas was recruiting, rearming and regrouping, sources told The National on Tuesday.
An Israeli team of three negotiators flew home on Monday hours after meeting Egyptian mediators for the second time in as many days to discuss the Gaza ceasefire that had mostly held since January. A Hamas delegation that took part in the negotiations left Egypt on Sunday.
Early on Tuesday, Israel resumed attacks across Gaza, killing more than 400 Palestinians, including women and children. It said the operation was open-ended, shattering the ceasefire and raising fears that Israel-Gaza war would be fully reignited.
The sources described the meetings between Egyptian mediators and the Israeli negotiators as fraught with tension.
The Israelis made it clear that hostilities could resume if Hamas did not agree to US proposals to extend the ceasefire, free up to 11 living hostages and the remains of half of the deceased captives held by Hamas. The US proposals, drafted by White House envoy Steve Witkoff, are supported by Israel.
The Palestinian group rejected the proposals and instead insisted on entering substantive negotiations over the second phase of the ceasefire deal, which was meant to lead to a long-term ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the return of all hostages taken by Hamas in its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and triggered the Gaza war.
The ceasefire was supposed to continue as long as talks over the second phase went on, according to the deal reached after more than a year of negotiations mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar.
“The Israelis had a threatening tone throughout the meetings and spoke at length about intelligence they had that showed Hamas was rearming, regrouping and energetically recruiting,” said one of the sources.
“They said Hamas's activity was mostly in central and northern Gaza and spoke of Israeli military plans already in place to resume strikes. After listening to them, the Egyptian side was almost certain that Israel will resume strikes,” said the source.
Hamas on Tuesday evening denied Israel's claims. "The occupation’s claims that the resistance had made preparations to attack its troops are baseless and false pretexts to justify its return to the war and escalation of its bloody aggression," the group said in a statement.
Moreover, the sources said, the Israeli negotiators told the Egyptian mediators they would not withdraw from a narrow strip that runs the length of Egypt's border with Gaza on the Palestinian side or have plans to allow humanitarian assistance to enter Gaza in the near future.
After hearing out the Israeli negotiators, said the sources, the Egyptian mediators – senior officials from the country's intelligence agency – said that restarting the war in Gaza was likely to trigger a chain of reactions across the region that would undermine stability.
Israel argues that the border strip - known to Palestinians as the Salah Al Din corridor but to Israelis as the Philadelphi corridor - must remain under its control to deny Hamas the use of underground tunnels to smuggle arms and other hardware. Egypt insists it has destroyed all the tunnels several years ago and that occupying the strip contravenes its 1979 peace treaty with Israel and subsequent accords.
Israel vowed on Tuesday to continue attacking Gaza until all hostages are returned. Hamas told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that deciding to “resume war” after an impasse in truce negotiations could be a “death sentence” for hostages still alive in Gaza.
“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” a statement by Mr Netanyahu's office said. The Israeli Prime Minister has repeatedly said that the Gaza war will not end until Hamas's governance and military capabilities are fully dismantled and the remaining hostages freed.
Of the 250 hostages captured by Hamas and its allies in their deadly October 2023 attack on Israel, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel's military response to the Hamas-led attack has killed more than 48,500 Palestinians in Gaza and injured more than twice that number, according to the enclave's health ministry. It has also displaced most of the strip's 2.3 million residents and laid large built-up areas to waste.
Results:
6.30pm: Maiden | US$45,000 (Dirt) | 1,400 metres
Winner: Tabarak, Royston Ffrench (jockey), Rashed Bouresly (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap | $175,000 (Turf) | 3,200m
Winner: Dubhe, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Group 3 | $250,000 (D) | 1,600m
Winner: Estihdaaf, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor
8.15pm: Handicap | $135,000 (T) | 1,800m
Winner: Nordic Lights, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.50pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 2 | $450,000 (D) | 1,900m
Winner: North America, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
9.25pm: Handicap | $175,000 (T) | 1,200m
Winner: Mazzini, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
10pm: Handicap | $135,000 (T) | 1,400m.
Winner: Mubtasim, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
MATCH INFO
Red Star Belgrade v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight (Thursday), UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Where to Find Me by Alba Arikha
Alma Books
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Specs
Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
Hamilton’s 2017
Australia - 2nd; China - 1st; Bahrain - 2nd; Russia - 4th; Spain - 1st; Monaco - 7th; Canada - 1st; Azerbaijan - 5th; Austria - 4th; Britain - 1st; Hungary - 4th; Belgium - 1st; Italy - 1st; Singapore - 1st; Malaysia - 2nd; Japan - 1st; United States - 1st; Mexico - 9th
THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EBattery%3A%2060kW%20lithium-ion%20phosphate%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20Up%20to%20201bhp%3Cbr%3E0%20to%20100kph%3A%207.3%20seconds%3Cbr%3ERange%3A%20418km%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh149%2C900%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
