GAZA CITY // Gaza residents crowded banks, vegetable markets and shops on Thursday, taking advantage of a brief ceasefire that offered the first respite from 10 days of fighting between Hamas and Israel.
Gaza City, a virtual ghost town since the fighting began on July 8, returned to apparent normality within minutes of the start of the truce.
Streets were jammed, motorists honked horns and Hamas police directed traffic at busy intersections.
Crowds of hundreds formed outside banks, with people jostling and shouting to get to ATM machines.
“I’ve been borrowing money from people to get by, and now I’m going to be able to pay them back,” said Abdul Qassam Ataneh, waiting outside a branch of the Bank of Palestine.
“The truce is a chance for people to get out of their homes and get money and supplies.
“Ramadan comes with a lot of expenses,” he said.
Abdallah Jaber, 42, seized the opportunity to visit his 87-year-old father, Hosni, in a care facility for the elderly and disabled close to the Israeli border, in an area that has been targeted repeatedly by the Israeli army as a launching area for rockets.
Several tank shells hit the upper floors of the five-story Wafa rehabilitation centre last week, punching large holes into the wall facing the border.
Israel has demanded that the building be evacuated, but director Basman Ashi said such a trip was too risky for his 17 patients, many of them unable to walk.
Mr Jaber said he could not reach the centre during 10 days of fighting and was worried about his father, who is on a respirator and suffers from dementia.
“We would call every hour to get an update on his condition,” he said.
In an outdoor market, shoppers filled plastic bags with fruit, vegetables and freshly slaughtered chickens.
The rush to restock signalled that Gaza residents didn’t expect a quick end to the fighting.
“The situation is likely to get worse because there is no clear way out of it,” said Moussa Amran, 43, a money changer in central Gaza City.
But two and a half hours into the truce, three mortar rounds were fired from Gaza into the southern Israeli region of Eshkol, the Israeli military said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility from militants in Gaza.
Before the mortar attack, Mohamed Nasr said he was happy with the brief truce, but wished the hours were longer.
“It’s not enough. People need to go out and get supplies and to get their belongings. It should have been from 7am until dusk,” he said.
“We’ve been stuck in our houses during this war, because of the violence. It’s like living under curfew.”
* Associated Press with additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
Which products are to be taxed?
To be taxed:
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Products excluded from the ‘sweetened drink’ category would contain at least 75 per cent milk in a ready-to-drink form or as a milk substitute, baby formula, follow-up formula or baby food, beverages consumed for medicinal use and special dietary needs determined as per GCC Standardisation Organisation rules
More coverage from the Future Forum
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
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The Sand Castle
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Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
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Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures
Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)
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UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia
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“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
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Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
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The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
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- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
