There were mixed reactions in Israel after the country bombed Hamas leadership in the Qatari capital of Doha on Tuesday, in one of the most consequential moments of the Gaza war.
Israelis were on tenterhooks waiting for news on the fate of Hamas's most senior officials, who were thought to have been in Doha discussing ceasefire proposals.
Initial reports in Israeli media suggested officials were optimistic that key targets had been killed. From Wednesday morning, however, reports changed with an increasing number suggesting that the mission had failed, as Hamas claimed.
“We’ll have to wait to see what the results are and what they mean in terms of Israel’s international relations and Hamas’s power,” Jerusalem resident Ilan told The National.
“Hamas is going to have to make some sort of deal at some point, because otherwise it’s just going to keep escalating and I don’t think Israel is ready to stop,” he added, referring to Israel’s operation to conquer Gaza city.
“They just potentially took out the leaders in Qatar, who have amassed billions in dollars from the Palestinian people and the international community. An end to the war is on the cusp, it can’t go on much longer.”
Piper, also from Jerusalem, argued that Qatar had helped Hamas by allowing senior leaders to reside in Doha, a widespread view among Israelis since the beginning of the war.
“From what I know, Qatar is the reason these Hamas guys are even alive. They could have ended it all years ago,” she said.
Daniel, from Tel Aviv, raised US objections to the strike. “I’m not surprised at any form of death-from-the-sky by Israel at this point in time, but I was very surprised at how irreverent Netanyahu can be when it comes to Donald Trump’s will. You do not spit in the face of a US president like that,” he said.
“There’s no talk about the sovereignty of Qatar. It’s never really about the sovereignty of any nation, let alone one like Qatar that most Israelis view as an enemy nation.”
He described Israelis as being indifferent to the attack. “All the organisers of October 7 have already to a large extent been eliminated. Israelis don’t really understand who we are killing when it comes to Hamas because it has become a faceless organisation. The big symbols have been taken out. So I don’t think Netanyahu can spin this into a major achievement.”
Much criticism in Israel focused on what the strike means for the fate of the few remaining hostages still held captive in Gaza. Polling shows that most Israelis prioritise their well-being over continuing to fight Hamas.
The forum representing most of the families of captives wrote an open letter, signed by several Israeli Nobel Prize laureates, to Mr Trump, calling on him to act to stop the war and release their loved ones.
“The hostages are running out of time. We need your strong leadership to set a clear deadline and end this nightmare for the hostages, the families, the people of Israel and all the people of the region,” the letter said, alluding to the strike on Qatar and Israel’s operation in Gaza city.
There was nonetheless great resignation about the fate of the captives. Israel’s oldest newspaper, Haaretz, published an editorial calling the strike a “death sentence” for the hostages.
“This is just another way to make sure that there will be no hostage talks. Netanyahu doesn’t want them but he has to play as though he does,” Moriel, from Tel Aviv, said.
“Nothing surprises me any more. I look at the government like they’re crazy pit bulls. There’s no logic,” Moriel added. “Nobody cares. We’re in a complete state of apathy.”
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Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
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The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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Rating: 3/5
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
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Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
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Tenet
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EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
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Toss: Nepal, chose to field
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Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
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Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
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Three trading apps to try
Sharad Nair recommends three investment apps for UAE residents:
- For beginners or people who want to start investing with limited capital, Mr Nair suggests eToro. “The low fees and low minimum balance requirements make the platform more accessible,” he says. “The user interface is straightforward to understand and operate, while its social element may help ease beginners into the idea of investing money by looking to a virtual community.”
- If you’re an experienced investor, and have $10,000 or more to invest, consider Saxo Bank. “Saxo Bank offers a more comprehensive trading platform with advanced features and insight for more experienced users. It offers a more personalised approach to opening and operating an account on their platform,” he says.
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Third Test
Result: India won by 203 runs
Series: England lead five-match series 2-1
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Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
