Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
At least 27 Palestinians were killed waiting for aid at a Gaza distribution centre when Israeli troops opened fire in the southern city of Rafah on Tuesday morning, the enclave's Health Ministry said.
It was the third day of chaos and bloodshed during aid operations carried out by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a controversial US and Israel-backed group that began work after Israel eased its blockade on Gaza. The foundation's plans, which bypass traditional humanitarian groups, have been condemned by the UN and established charities, who say they do not follow humanitarian principles.
"Israeli artillery and aircraft fired shells and gunfire at displaced people as they waited for aid near a humanitarian aid distribution point," the Wafa news agency reported on Tuesday, adding that at least 90 people were injured.
The Red Cross said it received a "mass casualty influx" of 184 people in Rafah early on Tuesday, most of whom had gunshot wounds and said they had been trying to reach an aid site. It said 27 were people killed.
on Sunday, 31 people were killed in a similar incident near a distribution centre run by the foundation. Three were killed on Monday.
The Israeli military said on social media that it fired shots at people about 500 metres from the distribution site on Tuesday morning after "identifying a number of suspects" who deviated from designated access routes.
"The forces fired evasive shots and, after they did not move away, additional shots were fired near the individual suspects who were advancing towards the forces," the military said.
"Reports of casualties are known. Details of the incident are under investigation," it added. The military said it did "not prevent Gaza residents from reaching the aid distribution complexes".
The US State Department took on a defensive tone after criticism of the aid-distribution mechanism intensified.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said journalists had "harangued" her for three months about not enough aid getting into Gaza.
"Seven million meals [have been distributed] and now we're being harangued about [it not being] by the right people. We have to move on from that," Ms Bruce told reporters.
The foundation said it distributed 21 lorryloads of food early on Tuesday and that the operation was "conducted safely and without incident within the site".
Ahmad Bushanaq, 35, told The National he was wounded in the shooting. “I had barely moved 500 metres when the shooting started – from quadcopters and warplanes. I was immediately injured in my leg,” he said. “I was forced to go, even though I knew it wasn’t safe. I have four children, the youngest is just one month old."
Tuesday's deaths came hours after Israel said three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in northern Gaza, as its forces push ahead with their offensive against Hamas, which has laid waste to much of the enclave.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk said the attacks at the aid sites constituted a war crime. "Deadly attacks on distraught civilians trying to access the paltry amounts of food aid in Gaza are unconscionable," he said. He did not assign blame for the violence.
Mr Turk called for a prompt and impartial investigation into each attack and for those responsible to be held to account. "Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law, and a war crime," he said.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday also called for an independent investigation into the deaths. The UN has criticised the distribution plans of the foundation, which have left the usual co-ordinators of Gaza aid, such as UNRWA, out of the loop.
"Palestinians have been presented with the grimmest of choices: die from starvation or risk being killed while trying to access the meagre food that is being made available through Israel's militarised humanitarian assistance mechanism," Mr Turk said on Tuesday.
Little is known about the foundation. Other aid groups have said its operations endanger civilians by delivering food through narrow, militarised corridors. Israel has described the foundation's methods as a way of circumventing Hamas, which Israel accuses of stealing aid.
Israel has faced mounting international criticism over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the UN has warned the entire population faces famine. Israel imposed an aid blockade on the besieged enclave on March 2 and has only relaxed it in recent days.
Nearly 20 months into the war, negotiations over a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remain deadlocked. A brief truce collapsed in March and Israel has since intensified operations to “destroy” the group.
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
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
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
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier
UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs
Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)
1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0
Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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.
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Third Test
Result: India won by 203 runs
Series: England lead five-match series 2-1
Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
