Politicians declare war, but it’s innocent men, women and children who suffer most from their actions.
In northern Gaza on Saturday, two elderly women were killed during an Israeli air strike on a charitable association housing facility for the disabled in Beit Lahiya. The attacks did not respect either their age or their impairments.
In a separate incident, eight young men were also killed inside the Fun Time Beach café on Gaza’s coastline while preparing to watch a World Cup match on TV. They never lived to know the final score.
Not so far away, a woman called Aisha was killed by another missile. She was four-months pregnant. Her unborn baby did not get to witness the injustice the Palestinian people face every day at the hands of the Israelis.
Saleh, 23, Aisha’s husband, was also killed in the same strike, inside the same destroyed house. At the time of his death, he was reportedly playing with two of his nephews – four-year-old Nidal and Mohammed, 2. The children would have had no idea that they were playing for the last time.
A family of eight was killed when two Israeli missiles struck their house in Khan Younis. The same strike destroyed three neighbouring residences. One of them was home to a family of six who, luckily, managed to escape even as their house was destroyed.
Another Israeli missile killed another family of eight in the same area on Tuesday. The house was home to several generations of the same family.
These are only a few stories about the victims of the ongoing Israeli strikes on Gaza. The stories of deaths, injuries and suffering have been circulated on social media, leading many to question the Israeli authority’s ceaselessly inhumane actions.
Their excuse? These houses were allegedly being used for “military purposes”, such as “weapons storage, command and control centres, or communications”, according to an official Israeli statement.
As the Israeli military targets civilian houses, cafes, mosques, disabled centres and basic infrastructure, the death toll has risen to more than 160.
In addition, hundreds of people have been injured. Palestinian medical authorities say women and children account for not less than 70 per cent of the 700 injured – that figure is only likely to rise.
Many of them are in a critical condition and in desperate need of specialist medical assistance.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, said last week that he would not stop a military offensive on Gaza until rockets stop being fired at Israel.
Witnesses on the ground say that the human impact of Operation Protective Edge has been further expanded over the past 24 hours and public services were hit very hard, cutting off electricity. The coming days are expected to be even harder on Gazans.
But what can we do to help them? Donating to Palestine Children's Relief Fund is one way to help injured children by donating money to provide them with the critical medical care they need to survive. The group has launched a donation page in response to the recent strikes.
If you’re in the UAE, the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) will be distributing urgent humanitarian and medical aid in Gaza in the coming days. For any donation, they can be contacted via their free phone number (800733). Let’s do what we can to help.
aalmazrouei@thenational.ae
On Twitter: @AyeshaAlmazroui
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
If you go
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.
INDIA SQUAD
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Vijay Shankar, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammad Siraj and Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper)
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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Managing the separation process
- Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
- Relax – and hopefully your child will follow suit
- Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
- If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
- The longer you stay, the more upset your child will become. As difficult as it is, walk away. Say a proper goodbye and reassure your child that you will be back
- Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
- Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
SCORES IN BRIEF
Lahore Qalandars 186 for 4 in 19.4 overs
(Sohail 100,Phil Salt 37 not out, Bilal Irshad 30, Josh Poysden 2-26)
bt Yorkshire Vikings 184 for 5 in 20 overs
(Jonathan Tattersall 36, Harry Brook 37, Gary Ballance 33, Adam Lyth 32, Shaheen Afridi 2-36).
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
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%3Cp%3EHigh%20fever%20(40%C2%B0C%2F104%C2%B0F)%3Cbr%3ESevere%20headache%3Cbr%3EPain%20behind%20the%20eyes%3Cbr%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3Cbr%3ENausea%3Cbr%3EVomiting%3Cbr%3ESwollen%20glands%3Cbr%3ERash%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
