Militants in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket and detonated an explosive on Wednesday, Israel said, hours after its soldiers killed six Palestinians in a raid in Jenin.
Those who died in the Israeli operation in the flashpoint West Bank town on Tuesday included a man suspected of shooting two Jewish brothers near Huwara last week. The raid left 26 wounded.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday congratulated the commanders of the Jenin raid, saying it was an “exceptional intelligence and operational achievement”.
“By your actions, you are sending a clear and sharp message to all who are thinking about murdering an Israeli citizen: we will settle accounts with you,” he said.
Israeli security forces named 49-year-old Abdul Fattah Kharushah as a Hamas militant who killed the Israeli brothers in Huwara.
Hamas issued a statement identifying Kharushah as a member.
Hamas’s Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigades called for further escalation of “armed resistance in the face of the occupation and its usurpers” in response to the latest developments.
On Wednesday afternoon, Israel’s military said an explosive device detonated near troops operating on Gaza’s border.
No Israeli casualties were reported. Palestinian reports said two Hamas militants were lightly injured after Israeli forces responded to the explosion with artillery fire.
Israeli forces were carrying out an engineering operation near the Gaza security barrier.
The military released a statement saying “[Israeli] tanks struck a military post belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation in the southern Gaza Strip.
Farmers were told to temporarily leave the area.
The attack is the latest case of fighting in the West Bank following a deadly rampage by Israeli settlers a little more than a week ago in Huwara, outside Nablus.
During the attack, hundreds of Israelis set fire to Palestinian homes and businesses, resulting in the death of one Palestinian and about a dozen injuries.
Calls for de-escalation
The UAE has condemned the continued Israeli raids in the Jenin camp.
In a statement on Wednesday, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation called on Israeli authorities to stop escalation and not take steps that exacerbate tension and instability in the region.
The ministry stressed the need to support all regional and international efforts to push forward the peace process in the Middle East.
It also called for an end to the illegitimate practices that threaten the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
On Wednesday, Jordan condemned Israel's killing of six people in the raid on the West Bank, calling it an escalation against the Palestinians, less than two weeks after a meeting between the two sides convened in the kingdom to reduce the violence.
Foreign ministry spokesman Sinan Al Majali said “continued Israeli aggression” on occupied Palestinian territory would “lead to more deterioration and expanding the torrent of violence, and undermine the efforts for reaching calm”.
“Immediate actions are needed to halt unilateral steps and protect the [possibility of] the two-state solution, and stopping all these illegal and illegitimate Israeli campaigns and measures”, he said.
On February 26, Jordan hosted a meeting between security officials from Israel and the Palestinian authority in the city of Aqaba, which committed the two sides to “de-escalate and prevent further violence”. Officials from the US, Jordan and Egypt also attended.
Jordan portrayed the meeting as a prelude to a possible breakthrough in the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Tor Wennesland, the UN Middle East peace envoy, also urged Israel and the Palestinians to calm surging violence in the occupied West Bank.
“We are in the midst of a cycle of violence that must be stopped immediately”, he said.
“The Security Council has spoken with one voice, calling on the parties to observe calm and restraint, and to refrain from provocative actions, incitement and inflammatory rhetoric."
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin is set to arrive in Israel on Wednesday for a two-day visit as part of his Middle East tour, before visiting Jordan. He made an unannounced stop in Iraq on Tuesday. He is expected to visit Egypt after Israel.
In Israel, Mr Austin is expected to raise concerns about the surge in violence in the occupied West Bank.
He will discuss diplomatic efforts to reduce tension before Ramadan and Passover, US officials said.
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
MATCH INFO
What: Brazil v South Korea
When: Tonight, 5.30pm
Where: Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae
The%20Super%20Mario%20Bros%20Movie
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Aaron%20Horvath%20and%20Michael%20Jelenic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chris%20Pratt%2C%20Anya%20Taylor-Joy%2C%20Charlie%20Day%2C%20Jack%20Black%2C%20Seth%20Rogen%20and%20Keegan-Michael%20Key%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
