US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi are chairing a gathering of world leaders called the Summit for Peace on Monday to support ending more than two years of war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
Israel and Hamas have no direct contact and were not expected to attend Monday's summit in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he was unable to attend because a Jewish holiday starts on Monday.
The summit will bring together more than 20 leaders from the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
Who is attending the summit?
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim are attending. Qatar and Egypt, along with the US, have acted as mediators in efforts to stop the war. Turkey, which hosted Hamas political leaders for years, played a key role in bringing about the current ceasefire agreement.
King Abdullah II of Jordan is also there. His country, alongside Egypt, is training a Palestinian security force for Gaza.
The UAE, a major provider of humanitarian aid to Gaza during the war, will be represented by a delegation led by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court.
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan will represent the kingdom. Other leaders from the region attending the summit include Bahrain’s King Hamad, Kuwait’s Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al Abdullah Al Sabah and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and European Council President Antonio Costa are also attending.
Germany, one of Israel’s strongest backers and a leading supplier of military equipment, is represented by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He has expressed concern over Israel's conduct of the war and its plan for a military takeover of Gaza.
Britain and France, traditionally strong allies that have grown increasingly critical of Israel over the war, will be represented by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Emmanuel Macron, respectively. Mr Starmer has said he will pledge £20 million ($27 million) to help provide water and sanitation for Gaza and that Britain will host a three-day conference to co-ordinate plans for Gaza’s reconstruction and recovery.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre are the other European leaders attending the conference.
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif are also expected to attend.
Although now known for luxury beach resorts, dive sites and desert tours, Sharm El Sheikh, at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula, has hosted many peace summits and rounds of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as other international conferences.
Monday’s gathering is the first peace summit to be held there under Mr El Sisi, who took office in 2014.
Israel occupied the Sinai Peninsula for a year in 1956 before withdrawing. A UN peacekeeping force was then stationed there until 1967. Israel seized the peninsula again that year after Egypt’s president Gamal Abdel Nasser ordered the peacekeepers to leave.
The Sinai Peninsula were returned to Egypt in 1982, following a 1979 peace treaty with Israel.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Selected fixtures
All times UAE
Wednesday
Poland v Portugal 10.45pm
Russia v Sweden 10.45pm
Friday
Belgium v Switzerland 10.45pm
Croatia v England 10.45pm
Saturday
Netherlands v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Denmark 10.45pm
Sunday
Poland v Italy 10.45pm
Monday
Spain v England 10.45pm
Tuesday
France v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Wales 10.45pm
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
