Thousands of civilians in the Tel Al Sultan neighbourhood of Rafah, southern Gaza, have been cut off from communication services, water supply, food distribution and medical assistance after Israel renewed its bombing of the area, the municipality said.
Entire families, including women and children, remain trapped, Rafah municipality said in a statement on Monday. It comes almost a week after Israel shattered a ceasefire by resuming its bombardment of the enclave and Hamas fired rockets towards Tel Aviv in response.
In some cases in Rafah, people are buried under rubble, alive but unable to be rescued because of a communications blackout and lack of medical supplies, the statement added.
“The wounded are left to bleed to death, while children are dying of hunger and thirst under the relentless siege and bombardment,” the statement read.
The latest attacks on Gaza brought a ceasefire enacted on January 19 to an abrupt end, weeks after the first phase of the truce expired on March 1. Israel had pushed for an extension to the first phase and the release of all hostages taken in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, but the militant group insisted the negotiations must move on to the second phase, in which the rest of the hostages would have been released, followed by talks towards a lasting ceasefire and a permanent Israeli withdrawal from the enclave.
Rafah's municipality revealed it had lost contact with ambulance and civil defence crews more than 36 hours ago after teams travelled to Tel Al Sultan.
Mahmoud Basal, Gaza civil defence spokesman, told The National: “At dawn, Israeli forces targeted the Red Crescent [humanitarian group] in Tel Al Sultan. Our teams, along with Red Crescent and Health Ministry crews, rushed to the scene."
He said eviction leaflets were dropped from the sky and, shortly after, Israeli troops stormed the area with tanks, drones and armed forces on the ground. “The neighbourhood and its residents were completely besieged, and we lost contact with our teams at that moment," he added. "Their fate remains unknown, despite our urgent appeals.”
He said more than 16 members of the Civil Defence and Red Crescent teams were trapped in Tel Al Sultan, along with four emergency vehicles.
"This assault mirrors what happened in Jabalia [in northern Gaza], where Israeli forces surrounded civilians, tightened the siege, prevented them from leaving and forced them to evacuate through designated routes," he said. "Many were arrested, subjected to brutal mistreatment and even fired upon.
“Thousands [of residents] remain trapped in Tel Al Sultan, most of them out of contact with their families. We continue to receive desperate pleas from their relatives.”
Foiled escape
When the eviction orders were dropped, thousands of Palestinians attempted to leave the area to which many had not long returned under the ceasefire deal, which saw thousands of Palestinian detainees freed in exchange for Israeli hostages. Aid has also been allowed to flow through the Rafah crossing, over the border from Egypt, into the strip, while many residents had returned to their destroyed towns and villages to assess damage and attempt to begin rebuilding.
“We thought the war was over when we returned home,” Abdel Karim Jabr, 36, said of fleeing his hometown once more. "We never imagined we would be displaced again, forced back into this nightmare. The entire way, Israeli forces fired at us. The gunfire never stopped. Some were wounded, others were killed, but no one could stop to help. Any movement was met with more gunfire.
“I fled with my mother, my brother’s wife and her children. By some miracle, we survived and reached Al Mawasi in Khan Younis. Along the way, I had to carry my mother multiple times because she couldn’t walk. At times, I carried both her and my children just to keep moving.”
Hassan Ahmad Saad, who works for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, also made a frantic bid to escape with his mother, 73, and aunt, 70. He said the attack began at night and by morning, leaflets had been dropped telling them to leave on foot using a specific street.
"It was an excruciating journey,” said Mr Saad, 43. “Halfway through, we encountered tanks and soldiers who ordered us to change our route. Then heavy gunfire erupted towards the crowd.
“We tried another road, walking for over an hour and a half. But suddenly, they [Israeli troops] started shooting at us again. Three people in front of us were shot. Moments later, soldiers ordered us to turn back but there was no way to return safely. We had no choice but to go back to Tel Al Sultan, despite the danger."
Gaza's Health Ministry said on Monday at least 50,082 Palestinians have been killed and 113,408 injured in Israel's offensive on the territory since October 7, 2023. More than 124,000 have been displaced by the bombing in only a few days, UNRWA found, and all aid has been cut off.
"People were exhausted, crying, and terrified," Mr Saad said. "Under the blazing sun and fasting, fear consumed everyone.” Ramadan, which began during the ceasefire with Palestinians able to observe the holy month's customs in peace and break their fast together, will end with more than 700 dead after the renewed Israeli attacks on Gaza.
“I saw it with my own eyes – soldiers shot a young woman in the stomach, another in the eye,” Mr Saad said. "They fired indiscriminately at civilians.”
For now, Tel Al Sultan remains under siege and Israeli politicians have threatened to take more territory if Hamas does not hand over the remaining hostages.
“Right now, movement in Tel Al Sultan is completely restricted,” Mr Saad said. "No one dares to step outside. I don’t even know if my neighbours are still alive or if we are completely alone."
The years Ramadan fell in May
The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Klipit%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Venkat%20Reddy%2C%20Mohammed%20Al%20Bulooki%2C%20Bilal%20Merchant%2C%20Asif%20Ahmed%2C%20Ovais%20Merchant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Digital%20receipts%2C%20finance%2C%20blockchain%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%244%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Privately%2Fself-funded%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Zayed Sustainability Prize
'Lost in Space'
Creators: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Irwin Allen
Stars: Molly Parker, Toby Stephens, Maxwell Jenkins
Rating: 4/5
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
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E153hp%20at%206%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E200Nm%20at%204%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6.3L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh106%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
More about Middle East geopolitics
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sav%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Purvi%20Munot%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24750%2C000%20as%20of%20March%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Sri Lanka squad for tri-nation series
Angelo Mathews (c), Upul Tharanga, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Janith Perera, Thisara Perera, Asela Gunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Dushmantha Chameera, Shehan Madushanka, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan and Wanidu Hasaranga
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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
More on Quran memorisation:
FIGHT CARD
Fights start from 6pm Friday, January 31
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) v Ahmed Saeb (IRQ)
Women’s bantamweight
Cornelia Holm (SWE) v Corinne Laframboise (CAN)
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (JOR) v Vitalii Stoian (UKR)
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) v Ali Dyusenov (UZB)
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) v Delfin Nawen (PHI)
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) v Mohamed El Mokadem (EGY)
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Ramadan Noaman (EGY)
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) v Reydon Romero (PHI)
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Juho Valamaa (FIN)
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) v Austin Arnett (USA)
Super heavyweight
Roman Wehbe (LEB) v Maciej Sosnowski (POL)
