Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Eager to put an end to the war on Gaza, US President Joe Biden tried to pressure Israel into accepting the latest ceasefire deal by calling it an Israeli proposal, an analyst said.
But that has failed to put an end to the devastating, months-long war on the Gaza Strip.
"They just came out and said, 'No, we don't accept'," Khaled Elgindy, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and an expert on US-Israeli relations, told the National. "And so, here we are."
On Sunday the White House insisted that the latest plan for a ceasefire in Gaza laid out by Mr Biden was proposed by Israel, and said the US expects Israel to accept it.
"This was an Israeli proposal," National Security spokesman John Kirby told ABC.
"We have every expectation that if Hamas agrees to the proposal as was transmitted to them, an Israeli proposal, that Israel would say yes again."
On Wednesday, Israeli negotiators had reportedly made an offer for a ceasefire to Hamas.
But on Saturday, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backtracked, saying that any deal that did not include the destruction of Hamas was a "non-starter".
On Sunday, a senior adviser to Mr Netanyahu, Ophir Falk, told Britain's The Sunday Times that Mr Biden's proposal was "a deal we agreed to" but that it was "not a good deal but we dearly want the hostages released, all of them".
The comments came after mediators Egypt, Qatar and the US put out a joint statement calling on Hamas and Israel to finalise the ceasefire agreement.
Mr Elgindy said a core issue is Israel's goal of eradicating Hamas.
"The [Biden] administration has clearly accepted the idea that Hamas is not going to be destroyed, which was always an absurd concept," he said.
"They're now saying, you've done enough damage to Hamas that they are not capable of carrying out another October 7 kind of attack."
More than 36,400 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since the war began, local health authorities say.
On October 7, Israel launched a military campaign on the coastal enclave after a Hamas-led attack on the country's south killed 1,200 people.
Mr Kirby said that after eight months of war, Hamas is now no longer capable of another attack on Israel.
"The Israelis have accomplished almost all of their goals in Gaza," he said.
Mr Biden, who is running for re-election in November, has been under pressure to rein in Israel and do more to end to the conflict.
Protests have erupted across the country, and polls show he has lost substantial support among progressives and Arab Americans.
But Mr Biden is also wary of backlash from his Republican rivals, and the staunchly pro-Israel US Congress.
On Friday he announced that Israel had offered a comprehensive, three-phased ceasefire proposal that would lead to an end to the war in Gaza and its reconstruction, and declared that it was "time for this war to end”.
The first phase, Mr Biden said, involves a six-week ceasefire, during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza, a number of hostages would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, and humanitarian aid would be enabled.
The second phase would see the rest of the living hostages released and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, while the third would consist of a rebuilding plan for Gaza and a return of the bodies of hostages who died in custody.
Hamas has said that it viewed the latest ceasefire proposal positively.
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
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Rating: 4/5
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
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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
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
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Match info
Wolves 0
Arsenal 2 (Saka 43', Lacazette 85')
Man of the match: Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal)
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Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
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Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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Brief scores:
Liverpool 3
Mane 24', Shaqiri 73', 80'
Manchester United 1
Lingard 33'
Man of the Match: Fabinho (Liverpool)
Fixtures
Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11
August 9
Liverpool v Norwich 11pm
August 10
West Ham v Man City 3.30pm
Bournemouth v Sheffield Utd 6pm
Burnley v Southampton 6pm
C Palace v Everton 6pm
Leicester v Wolves 6pm
Watford v Brighton 6pm
Tottenham v Aston Villa 8.30pm
August 11
Newcastle v Arsenal 5pm
Man United v Chelsea 7.30pm
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Sunday's Super Four matches
Dubai, 3.30pm
India v Pakistan
Abu Dhabi, 3.30pm
Bangladesh v Afghanistan
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Equinox
Price, base / as tested: Dh76,900 / Dh110,900
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder
Gearbox: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 252hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: Torque: 352Nm @ 2,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.5L / 100km
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
