Family members, friends and religious leaders gather at the Western Wall on Thursday to pray for the safe return of those taken hostage by Hamas militants. Getty Images
Family members, friends and religious leaders gather at the Western Wall on Thursday to pray for the safe return of those taken hostage by Hamas militants. Getty Images
Family members, friends and religious leaders gather at the Western Wall on Thursday to pray for the safe return of those taken hostage by Hamas militants. Getty Images
Family members, friends and religious leaders gather at the Western Wall on Thursday to pray for the safe return of those taken hostage by Hamas militants. Getty Images

'We must go inside': Israelis resolute that Gaza ground invasion is only option


Willy Lowry
  • English
  • Arabic

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza

The warm October sun shines brightly on the hip cafes that line a bustling stretch of Jaffa Street near the centre of Jerusalem.

Israelis young and old sip morning coffees and gather under the protective canopies of cafe umbrellas, trying to enjoy a semblance of normality during a period that is anything but normal.

The country is at war and hundreds of thousands of soldiers have been called up from the reserves and sent south ahead of an expected ground invasion into the Gaza Strip.

Israeli leaders have vowed to wipe Hamas “off the map” and promised retribution for the militant group’s assault on southern Israel that left 1,300 Israelis dead and during which about 200 were kidnapped.

The country’s retaliation has been swift and unrelenting. The military has dropped thousands of bombs on the densely populated Gaza Strip. The Palestinian death toll has passed 4,000, a number that already exceeds the 2014 war between Israel and Gaza, which lasted six weeks.

There is a sense among many Israelis that it is just the beginning – as if the country goes to bed each night expecting to wake up to news of troops marching into Gaza.

The military has so far refrained from launching a ground invasion, although the pieces are in place.

Nearly two weeks since from the events of October 7, Israelis, for the most part, are resolute in their belief that a ground invasion is a necessary next step.

“We must go inside,” said Isaac Israel, 72, a money transfer clerk in Jerusalem. “Because otherwise we will not succeed to live here any more.”

Mr Israel tapped into a sentiment shared by many.

“We don't have another country,” said Talia Mazor, a mother of two. “We must completely destroy Hamas.”

When Hamas militants flooded into cities and kibbutzim along the border with Gaza, not only did they succeed in killing more Israelis than in any other day of this long-simmering conflict, they struck fear into the heart of the country, piercing Israel’s sense of invincibility.

Dan Avnon, a professor of political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said: "When something like this happens, and we know first hand, or by stories, the people who were murdered – many of them peace-loving activists – then the sense is [that] if we don't [put on] a show of force, that will be unbearable to experience on the other side.

"Now it's in Gaza, then it's in Lebanon, and then it's Iran and we're doomed to die.”

Prof Avnon said the attack hit at the very core of the country’s identity, leading to a generational trauma shared by many Israelis and Jews worldwide.

“Jewish Israelis are committed to the existence of the state. Right, left, peace, radical, messianic or whatnot, at our core we believe that if we do not have a state, then we will be wiped out,” Prof Avnon told The National.

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
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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The specs

The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
 

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

The bio

Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.

Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.

Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.

Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Eyasses squad

Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)

Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)  

Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)

Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)

Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)

Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)

Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)

Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)

Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)

Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)

Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)         

Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)

Gertrude Bell's life in focus

A feature film

At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.

A documentary

A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.

Books, letters and archives

Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Milkman by Anna Burns

Ordinary People by Diana Evans

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Circe by Madeline Miller

Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi

“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”

What is the definition of an SME?

SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.

A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors. 

The Dictionary of Animal Languages
Heidi Sopinka
​​​​​​​Scribe

Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi

Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe

For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.

Golden Dallah

For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.

Al Mrzab Restaurant

For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.

Al Derwaza

For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup. 

Updated: October 20, 2023, 12:23 PM`