After the announcement of the ceasefire in Gaza, most Gazans were looking to at last celebrate Eid Al Fitr, the end-of-Ramadan holiday that had taken place a week ago during intense Israeli bombing in the area.
But Wihda Nasser from Beit Hanoun to the north of the Gaza Strip cannot celebrate this year nor welcome people into her home as it was partly destroyed when her neighbour's house was shelled.
"I don't have water or cooking gas in my home. My home is not suitable for living now," Wihda told The National.
The 56-year-old is now living in a house with seven other family members.
Wihda left her two-storey home when heavy shelling began in the area and travelled to stay with a relative in the Tal Al Hawa neighbourhood west of Gaza city, but she returned after two days.
On Thursday, a neighbour’s home, which stood 20 metres away from hers, was destroyed by Israeli shells.
"This is a residential area. All the people who live here are civilians," Waheed Nasser, Wihda's husband, told The National. "Why did they target us and frighten us?"
“The same house was targeted in the last war and my home was partly destroyed and cost me around $15,000 to rebuild again. I don’t have money now to rebuild the house."
The Nassers have begun to sift through the rubble of their home to see if anything can be salvaged and to gauge whether they might be able to live there again.
At 2am on Friday, Israel and Hamas declared a ceasefire, ending 11 days of air strikes and rocket attacks.
Gazans are returning to their homes after the ceasefire to see what remains of their houses, cleaning and gathering belongings that were left behind when they fled the air strikes and shelling.
People wander among the houses that were partially or completely destroyed as water leaks from burst pipes and rubble litters the ground.
"After the heavy shelling in the area, I left home with my husband and went to the hospital, looking for a secure place," Intissar Nasser, 43, told The National.
“I came back to my home after the ceasefire was announced yesterday. I was so choked up. My home is destroyed and not suitable to live in it," she said.
“I couldn’t have imagined that the devastation would be like that. I haven’t seen something like that before."
But little by little, life has returned to the streets of Gaza after 11 days of conflict. Though the situation is bleak, Gazans came out to celebrate, with some even handing out sweets in the street.
Mohssan Shalaeel, 33, from Jabalia camp to the north of the Gaza Strip, said: “Once the ceasefire was announced, I went into the street with my family members to express our happiness in victory. It was a great scene to see everybody in the streets celebrating."
“It is true that we lost a number of our people and there is a lot of devastation, but God will help us to rebuild it again. The important thing is that resistance has won and thousands of Palestinians are now reuniting," he added.
"I didn’t sleep all night after I come back home. I turned my TV on to the news to watch the demonstrations. Today, this morning, I went into the street again. I saw the devastation clearly. I really was so sad, but everything will be OK."
Reema Tafesh, 25, said: “I can finally take a breath. It was a great happiness. We were counting the hours. We thought that we would not survive. Now that the ceasefire has been announced, we are counting the hours to rebuild Gaza again."
“I watched the reactions of Palestinians on TV and on social media. I was happy with people's reactions. They were so happy. It is so beautiful to see reunited Palestinians everywhere."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
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Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
'The Sky is Everywhere'
Director:Josephine Decker
Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
Rating:2/5
The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
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Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Ultra processed foods
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- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
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The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
Price: from Dh437,900
On sale: now
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
