GAZA CITY // Abdullah Abu Shabab fled the war in Syria to shelter in Gaza, the home his Palestinian parents lost in the 1967 war. But in the end an Israeli bomb killed him.
“It was his destiny to die here,” said his haggard father Hamed Abu Shabab.
It was July 30, a day that sparked world outrage when nearly 120 Palestinians were killed. More than 20 of them died during a four-hour lull when a shell exploded in a packed market in Shujaieh.
Abdullah was killed evacuating the wounded in Shujaieh, his father said.
The 21-year-old student died helping others under the very bombs he escaped in Syria, torn apart by three and a half years of civil war that has killed more than 170,000.
“I had high hopes for him, he was going to get his university degree in a month,” says his father. “But he died before being able to get it.”
Abu Shabab’s nightmare didn’t end there. Their home was also destroyed.
Now he and his three sons spend nights camped out under a pile of rubble, while his wife and four daughters stay with relatives.
Atef Al Aymawi, head of a local association representing Palestinian refugees from Syria, says 260 families fled to Gaza seeking refuge.
Syria welcomed some of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians made refugees by the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, when Israel captured the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, east Jerusalem, the Sinai and the Golan Heights.
Of the 530,000 Palestinian refugees registered in Syria 12 to 15 per cent have left for neighbouring countries, says the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
Under Egypt’s now removed Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, Egyptian authorities allowed Palestinians from Syria to cross into Hamas-controlled Gaza, Mr Al Aymawi said.
At the time, Hamas supported each family out of work with $230 a month.
But the army overthrew Mr Morsi and the new Egyptian regime has shut down Hamas. Isolated, politically and economically, Syrian refugees no longer get anything from the Islamists, many of them say.
Mr Al Atef used to live in Yarmuk, the main Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, which has been reduced to rubble in the war. He left behind a home and a textiles factory to arrive in Gaza in late 2012.
He rented a home but it too was destroyed in Israel’s July offensive.
He, his wife and children were taken in by a friend, Farid Yussef, also from Syria and whose parents were made refugees when Israel was created in 1948.
“We were just starting to make a go of it in Gaza, we were in the process of building a new life. But now all our hopes are dead, we don’t even have a home anymore,” said Mr Al Atef.
Nearly 2,000 Palestinians have been killed in one month of fighting between Israel and Hamas. Parts of the tiny enclave, smaller than Britain’s Isle of Wight, lie in ruins.
Frightened by the attacks, Mr Yussef has tried several times to go back to Syria since the war in Gaza began on July 8. Each time his passage has been refused.
Egypt has closed its mission in Gaza and banned Hamas. He can no longer get out.
For the former pharmaceutical salesman, the worst thing is the seven-year blockade imposed on Gaza.
“It’s the worst experience of my life, I can’t stand the idea that I’m a prisoner,” he said before being interrupted by his wife Suad, who says “anyway death here or death in Syria what’s the difference?”
* Agence France-Presse
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Honeymoonish
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500 People from Gaza enter France
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Lecce v SPAL (6pm)
Bologna v Genoa (9pm)
Atlanta v Roma (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Hellas Verona (3.30pm)
Juventus v Brescia (6pm)
Sampdoria v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sassuolo v Parma (6pm)
Cagliari v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
Monday
AC Milan v Torino (11.45pm)
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
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How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
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