White House says it is working to extend truce and condemns Hamas attack in Jerusalem

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

The White House on Thursday said that it was working to extend the truce in the Gaza Strip and condemned the shooting of three people in a Hamas attack in Jerusalem.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the US is continuing efforts with Israel, Qatar and Egypt to extend the truce in Gaza, now in its seventh day, to enable the release of additional hostages held by Hamas and allow the entry of more aid to the besieged enclave.

“We're working on it literally by the hour to see if we can get this seventh day turned into an eighth and ninth and 10th and beyond,” Mr Kirby told reporters.

“But all I can do is tell you where we are right now and we're glad that we got a seventh day out of this.”

The comments came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is on his third visit to Israel since the war began, met Israeli Prime Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials, and said that he hoped the truce could be extended and more hostages released.

The temporary truce in Gaza came amid mounting international pressure to bring to a halt weeks of Israeli bombardment and an unprecedented ground invasion after a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 that killed 1,200 people.

More than 15,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority of them women and children, and most of the coastal enclave's population has been displaced to the south, where a humanitarian crisis is worsening.

Israel has vowed to resume its war on Gaza, saying it is intent on destroying Hamas.

“They have said very clearly that, that when these pauses are over, they intend to go back at it,” Mr Kirby said.

“And as they make that decision, they'll continue to find support from the United States in terms of the tools and capabilities, the weapons systems that they need, as well as the advice and the perspectives that we can offer in terms of urban warfare.”

On Thursday, Palestinian gunmen killed three people and wounded several others in Jerusalem.

The attackers were shot dead and Hamas later claimed responsibility for the shooting.

The incident has not appeared to have affected the truce, but Mr Kirby said it was an example of the kind of threat that Israel is under by Hamas.

“We obviously condemn this terrorist attack and senseless violence,” he said.

So far, 75 Israelis, some of them dual citizens, have been freed in exchange for 210 Palestinian detainees, mostly women and minors, held in Israeli prisons.

Another 24 hostages, most of them Thai citizens, have also been freed in separate agreements.

US officials had said that nine American citizens were believed to be among the hostages. On Thursday, Mr Kirby said four* Americans have so far been released and one remains unaccounted for.

On December 1, the White House said that the number of American hostages freed from Gaza was four and not six as previously stated

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Citizenship-by-investment programmes

United Kingdom

The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).

All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.

The Caribbean

Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.

Portugal

The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.

“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.

Greece

The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.

Spain

The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.

Cyprus

Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.

Malta

The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.

The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.

Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.

Egypt

A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.

Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties

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Dos

Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
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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

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