British RAF planes have started evacuation flights from Israel while officials have told UK citizens in Gaza to "be ready" if the Rafah crossing opens, the Foreign Office said.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Sunday said he was trying to arrange the reopening of the Rafah crossing – the only passage in and out of the Gaza Strip not controlled by Israel, which has been closed since Tuesday – but the situation remained “very, very difficult”.
The first three flights carrying Britons fleeing the conflict arrived in Cyprus and the UK on Sunday.
There are an estimated 60,000 British citizens in Israel and Gaza, including the parents-in-law of Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf.
The Foreign Office has told citizens in Gaza to prepare for the Rafah crossing opening and further government flights are planned with specialist teams deployed to support vulnerable people.
“I've been speaking with the Egyptian authorities, with the Israeli authorities, and also with other leading political voices in the region to try to facilitate the opening of a Rafa crossing from Southern Gaza into Egypt,” Mr Cleverly told the BBC.
“That's not been opened yet and these are incredibly difficult conversations, very sensitive conversations, but we are seeking to provide support to those British nationals who are seeking to leave Gaza and we are looking to facilitate humanitarian support for the people of Gaza.
"It is very, very difficult. At the moment we have not been successful in getting the Rafah crossing opened.”
One of the planes used on Sunday was an RAF A400M Atlas transport aircraft, last used in the evacuation of citizens from Sudan this year and also from Kabul in 2021.
It is expected similar planes will be on standby to fly into the region and land at rugged airstrips to pick up British citizens in the coming days.
The Rafah crossing lies on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, with the Cairo government, Hamas and Israel each having some degree of control over the exit point.
Mr Yousaf, the Scottish leader whose family members remain trapped in Gaza after visiting relatives, has released a video on X, formerly Twitter, in which his mother-in-law, Elizabeth El-Nakla, says: “Everybody from Gaza is moving towards where we are. One million people. No food. No water.”
There is growing international concern about the potential for a humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip after Israel told the 1.1 million civilians in the north of the territory to evacuate before an expected ground offensive.
A massive Israeli military operation from air, sea and land is expected after Hamas massacred more than 1,300 Israelis, including babies, in attacks on October 7. More than 2,300 Palestinians have already been killed in retaliatory Israeli air strikes.
The Foreign Office said its officials were working with Egyptian authorities to arrange for British and dual citizens to leave Gaza via Rafah.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi about the situation last week.
Britain has also readied two Rapid Deployment Teams to support vulnerable citizens seeking places on evacuation flights.
It is also working with Israeli air controllers to try to maintain commercial air links and keep a range of transport options under review. While commercial flights remain limited, a small number of routes between Israel and Europe, including the UK, are open.
The British government also insisted “vital humanitarian supplies”, including food, water and medical supplies necessary for survival, “must be able to reach innocent civilians”.
The Foreign Office has advised against all travel to parts of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
The Foreign Office has also told British citizens in Gaza to follow Israel’s orders to move out of the northern part of the strip ahead of the likely military assault.
The years Ramadan fell in May
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
As You Were
Liam Gallagher
(Warner Bros)
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.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
WITHIN%20SAND
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Moe%20Alatawi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Ra%E2%80%99ed%20Alshammari%2C%20Adwa%20Fahd%2C%20Muhand%20Alsaleh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%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
The Bloomberg Billionaire Index in full
1 Jeff Bezos $140 billion
2 Bill Gates $98.3 billion
3 Bernard Arnault $83.1 billion
4 Warren Buffett $83 billion
5 Amancio Ortega $67.9 billion
6 Mark Zuckerberg $67.3 billion
7 Larry Page $56.8 billion
8 Larry Ellison $56.1 billion
9 Sergey Brin $55.2 billion
10 Carlos Slim $55.2 billion
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
