Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Palestine
Talks on a potential prisoner exchange with Israel have begun, a senior Hamas official confirmed to The National but stressed it was too early to reach a deal that would lead to a decrease in hostilities.
Qatar has been in touch with Hamas officials in Doha and Gaza, according to reports.
Israel launched hundreds of air strikes on Gaza at the weekend, killing more than 900 Israelis and triggering reprisal air strikes that have left 430 dead in Gaza.
The potential deal would result in the release of Israeli prisoners taken hostage on Saturday, in exchange for the freedom of female Palestinian political prisoners.
Details about negotiations focusing on the release of 36 Palestinians from Israeli jails have not previously been reported.
“I think we are not talking about one country leading the efforts on mediation between Hamas and Israel, but I can say that talks have indeed begun since yesterday,” said Osama Hamdan, Hamas's top representative in Lebanon and member of the group’s political office.
Sources from Hamas confirmed that Qatar had begun mediation talks with Hamas on a potential deal that could see them exchange female Israeli prisoners for the release of female Palestinian prisoners.
Qatar and Egypt appear to be leading the efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire with the Palestinian group. Egyptian officials told The National that Egypt's contacts over the past 24 hours included talks with senior EU and US officials, as well as regional heavyweights such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel's blockade would be tightened to prevent food and fuel from being brought into the strip, home to 2.3 million people.
Egypt had urged Israel to exercise restraint and Hamas to hold its captives in good condition to keep open the possibility of de-escalation.
The Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, on Saturday launched “Operation Al Aqsa Flood” with rockets targeting enemy sites, airports, and military bases. Its fighters also launched a ground incursion into southern Israel and took dozens of Israeli hostages.
Hamas said it would initially agree to an exchange only if Israel releases all 36 female Palestinians currently in Israeli custody, according to one Hamas source. Eran Lerman, a former Israeli deputy national security adviser, said no Israeli would concede to conditions of the hostage takers, citing the brutality of the attack.
About 50 Israeli hostages are being held by Hamas militants in Beeri Kibbutz near the Gaza border, according to some Israeli reports.
Qatar has yet to publicly acknowledge its role in mediating a prisoner exchange deal. More recently, Qatar played a crucial role when it mediated between Hamas, Egypt and Israel to reopen a main crossing with the Gaza Strip at the end of September.
Gaza's Health Ministry said on Monday that about 493 Palestinians have been killed and 2,751 wounded in Israeli air strikes on the blockaded enclave since Saturday.
For a ceasefire to come into effect, Hamas is calling for an immediate stop to all Israeli settlement expansions and to Israeli aggression at the Al Aqsa mosque.
“In the end, our top priority and demand is for Israel to free all Palestinian prisoners and end Israeli provocations in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, particularly Al Aqsa Mosque,” Mr Hamdan said.
Mr Hamdan said hostilities are expected to continue for the foreseeable future given the group’s “armed victory”.
“We have had experience with the occupiers’ wars on Gaza in 2008 and 2014 so for the armed wing of Hamas, the Al Qassam Brigades to be so victorious over the past days gives many in Gaza the will to go on fighting until the end,” he said.
Israel's troops were still fighting to recapture its towns from Hamas fighters on Monday, acknowledging the battle was taking longer than expected more than two days after the militants crossed from Gaza.
How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
Most%20ODI%20hundreds
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Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Profile
Name: Carzaty
Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar
Launched: 2017
Employees: 22
Based: Dubai and Muscat
Sector: Automobile retail
Funding to date: $5.5 million
Company%20profile
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The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
