The first day of Eid in Gaza was met with barrages of air strikes and rocket fire on Thursday as the death toll from the latest violence rose to 87 killed in the blockaded strip and seven killed in Israel.
The four days of cross-border violence showed no sign of abating and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the campaign "will take more time".
Hamas officials in Gaza said that over 530 Palestinians have been wounded so far as the Israeli military admitted mistakes had been made in the current offensive.
"There are mistakes but we are trying to do everything in our power and all of our resources are focusing on those things,” an Israeli security official said on Thursday. Every target needs to be approved by the highest rank officer in order not to harm civilians."
But the official also said that a number of Palestinians in Gaza had been killed by a miss-fired Hamas rocket.
Although an Israeli military spokesman early on Thursday that additional soldiers were being posted to the Gaza border and the army was in "various stages of preparing ground operations", the security official declined to elaborate by evening.
“When we get all of our goals, we will stop the operation, but we haven't finished yet,” they said.
Following a day of violence in Jerusalem on Monday that left over 700 Palestinians wounded after police stormed the city’s Al Aqsa Mosque, the already tense situation has exploded. Armed groups in Gaza have now fired over 1,750 rockets and Israel has hit nearly 1,000 targets in Gaza.
Survivors of Israeli air strikes on the Sheikh Zayed neighbourhood in Gaza say they feared for their lives as their homes fell down on top of them.
"I witnessed death while I was under the rubble. I wondered if we would survive or not,"
Khaled Almalfouh, 25, who was buried alive with seven of his family members when the building he lived in collapsed after an air strike, told The National.
In the densely packed and blockaded enclave, people are assessing the toll both in lives and property.
Officials say at least 500 housing units have been damaged and destroyed and traders near blast sites are counting their losses.
"There is not any joy for Eid, the destruction is everywhere and we are, unfortunately, set back years," Gaza City shopkeeper Shaban Al Helwo told The National from his destroyed women's clothing store.
According to the Associated Press, a delegation of senior Egyptian security officials are in Tel Aviv in a bid to mediate a de-escalation of the conflict having travelled into Gaza to meet Hamas leadership.
Even as word came of the mediators’ presence, Gaza militants fired a volley of some 100 rockets nearly simultaneously, raising air raid sirens around southern and central Israel.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties – but the barrage appeared aimed at demonstrating that Hamas’ arsenal was still full even after three nights of air strikes and the killing Wednesday of several Hamas leaders involved in the rocket programme. Israel also destroyed the home of Hamas's political bureau head, Ismail Haniyeh, although he is in exile in Doha.
There was no talk of a ceasefire when Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida addressed the public.
Threatening Jerusalem and the Al Aqsa Mosque means “The decision to strike Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Dimona, Ashkelon and Be'er Sheva is easier to us than drinking water.”
He reiterated the groups demand that Israel refrain from attacking Muslim worshippers at Al Aqsa Mosque and pull security forces from the East Jerusalem area of Sheikh Jarrah where Palestinian families face eviction in what they see as an attempted annexation of their lands but Israel sees as a domestic ownership despite.
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to restore order after outbreaks of intercommunal violence in mixed Arab and Israeli cities saw roving gangs and stone-throwing mobs.
"Nothing justifies the lynching of Arabs by Jews and nothing justifies the lynching of Jews by Arabs," the prime minister said after dozens of far-right ultranationalist Israelis dragged a man they believed to be Arab from his car and beat him in the street until he was unconscious late on Tuesday night.
Medical officials said the man, identified in local media as an Israeli Arab, was in a critical but stable condition after the attempting “lynching”.
Far-right lawmaker Betzalel Smotrich, head of the "Religious Zionism" party, said he was "ashamed" of the "atrocious cruelty" of the attack.
Issawi Fredj, an Arab deputy from the left-wing Meretz party, said the images were a sign that the country was heading towards "civil war".
Thousands of miles from the rockets and bombs, the ambassadors of Israel and Palestine have been waging their own diplomatic skirmishes at the United Nations. Both have sent widely shared letters condemning the actions of the other side as diplomats call the third emergency meeting on the crisis in the hopes of getting an official UN Security Council statement without another US veto.
The goal of a new meeting is "to try to contribute to peace ... and to have a Security Council able to express itself and to call for a ceasefire" a diplomat said.
Israel’s Ambassador Gilad Erdan condemned the Gaza militant group Hamas for launching hundreds of “murderous” and “indiscriminate” rockets into Israeli towns and cities while Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour accused Israel of “unleashing all means of lethal military aggression against the defenceless Palestinian civilian population”.
US President Joe Biden on Thursday said that he was leading conversations with Israeli officials but also having discussions with “the Egyptians, Saudis and others” on “how we get to a point where there is a significant reduction in the attacks, particularly the rocket attacks that are indiscriminately fired into population centres.”
Finding an end to the fighting was, however, “a work in progress right now.”
With rockets still firing out of Gaza and air strikes pounding the strip, several international airlines cut flights to Israel and Tel Aviv airport – the only international terminal – cancelled most services.
“We saw a couple of rockets, so there is no reason for us to stay here,” Andre Valenta told The National as he travelled home to Dubai after cutting short a business trip.
Scoreline
Arsenal 0 Manchester City 3
- Agüero 18'
- Kompany 58'
- Silva 65'
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGrowdash%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJuly%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESean%20Trevaskis%20and%20Enver%20Sorkun%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERestaurant%20technology%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24750%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Plus%20VC%2C%20Judah%20VC%2C%20TPN%20Investments%20and%20angel%20investors%2C%20including%20former%20Talabat%20chief%20executive%20Abdulhamid%20Alomar%2C%20and%20entrepreneur%20Zeid%20Husban%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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
EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEdinburgh%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%204%20%3Cem%3E(unchanged)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBahrain%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%2015%20%3Cem%3E(from%20September%2015)%3C%2Fem%3E%3B%20second%20daily%20service%20from%20January%201%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EKuwait%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%2015%20%3Cem%3E(from%20September%2016)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMumbai%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20October%2027)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAhmedabad%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20October%2027)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColombo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202%20%3Cem%3E(from%20January%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMuscat%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cem%3E%20%3C%2Fem%3EMarch%201%3Cem%3E%20(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELyon%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBologna%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20Emirates%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
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RoboCop%3A%20Rogue%20City
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One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
The specs: 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
Price, base: Dh1.2 million
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 725hp @ 6,500pm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.3L / 100km (estimate)
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Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.
Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
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The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2)
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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The specs: 2018 Bentley Bentayga V8
Price, base: Dh853,226
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 550hp @ 6,000pm
Torque: 770Nm @ 1,960rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L / 100km
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Spec%20sheet
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
