Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
A major humanitarian operation to provide Gaza with aid coming from western ships has been proposed by European powers.
France, the Netherlands and Britain are understood to be making plans to move urgently needed food and medicine into the embattled territory via their fleets already stationed in the Mediterranean.
The plan is being driven by President Emmanuel Macron of France along with Mark Rutte, the Dutch Prime Minister, after they returned from trips to Israel last week.
Downing Street also confirmed to The National that discussions on humanitarian aid had been held between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Mr Macron on Sunday, in which they stressed “the importance of getting urgent humanitarian support into Gaza”.
Both countries have warships in the area but also auxiliary supply vessels that will be well stocked with food, medicine and emergency medical supplies.
The sea aid would require a significant diplomatic effort as Israel and Hamas would have to be persuaded to pause the fighting to allow the enclave’s only viable port in Gaza city to open.
Were that achieved, it would allow for British and French naval support vessels to ship aid in and potentially evacuate the seriously wounded on to hospital ships.
The 16,000-tonne RFA Lyme Bay, one of two British ships stationed in the Mediterranean, can carry 150 lorries and at least 200 tonnes of supplies.
It is accompanied by RFA Argus, which has 100 hospital beds and a landing deck with capacity for three helicopters.
They are joined by the French helicopter carrier Tonerre that also has a hospital with two operating rooms, 69 beds and a large stockpile of army rations.
It is understood that unlike the onerous checks at the Rafah crossing, where only 131 lorries have been allowed through since the war broke out on October 7, European naval vessels will not require vigorous inspections by the Israelis.
Many patients in Gaza, where about 8,800 people have been killed according the Hamas-run Health Ministry, have been undergoing operations without anaesthetic. The Gaza Strip is also running extremely short of food, water and fuel, with more than one million people living without basic necessities.
Charlotte Leslie, director of the Conservative Middle East Council, told The National the proposal was a “very welcome step” as “the humanitarian crisis from Israeli bombing is simply catastrophic”.
“But we all urgently need to find a political way to end the civilian casualties because this current military response, while an understandable reaction by Israel to the terrorist atrocities committed by Hamas, is not making anyone safer,” added the former Conservative MP.
However, some in Whitehall have criticised the move, calling it “aid washing” and hypocritical, after the West largely gave Israel unqualified backing for its military operations in Gaza.
“We have to set this against the context of what could constitute war crimes by Israel,” said a political source in Whitehall. “It may be that we expect our efforts to be greeted with open arms and white saviours but to be honest it looks like absolute hypocrisy and aid washing. It might do some good on the ground but it won't do very much good unless there is an absolute step change in how Israel manages the Hamas threat.”
Gideon Rabinowitz, a director at Bond, the UK network for NGOs, said it was critical for European countries to "negotiate safe routes to get these materials to civilians in Gaza".
He added: "Given the level of destruction it is clear that multiple routes will be needed, including possibly by sea."
Kajsa Ollongren, the Dutch Defence Minister, told the Financial Times that “the sea is, of course, a possibility" for sending aid. She added that European powers could bring “an element of trust because it is co-ordinated by countries that Israel is in contact with and could rely on that it is really about humanitarian aid”.
Israeli officials have indicated they might accept the maritime aid if they could establish a method of verifying precisely what is unloaded from the ships.
Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)
- Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave.
- Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
- Help out around the house.
- Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
- Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
- Offer to strip the bed before you go.
Results
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Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Opening Rugby Championship fixtures:Games can be watched on OSN Sports
Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)
BlacKkKlansman
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver
Five stars
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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Canada
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Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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
THE%20SPECS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More on Quran memorisation:
More on Quran memorisation:
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,050,000
On sale: now
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IPL 2018 FINAL
Sunrisers Hyderabad 178-6 (20 ovs)
Chennai Super Kings 181-2 (18.3 ovs)
Chennai win by eight wickets
ENGLAND WORLD CUP SQUAD
Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Scores
Rajasthan Royals 160-8 (20 ov)
Kolkata Knight Riders 163-3 (18.5 ov)
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
