'It won't bring them back': Israeli peace activist pleads for end to Gaza bombings

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

As the war in Gaza continues, Israel has vowed to step up aerial attacks on the enclave as it prepares for a ground invasion.

Many in Israel are still reeling from the Hamas attack on the south, the most violent in the country's history, which killed more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, a little more than half of whom have been identified.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and government ministers have vowed to definitively wipe out Hamas in response but as the civilian death toll mounts, so too do calls for an end to the attacks.

"This killing will bring no safety, no security, no peace for the people in Israel," Alon-Lee Green, co-founder of the Standing Together movement, told The National.

"It will not bring back to life anyone who lost their lives in the Hamas massacre ... and it will not bring back the Israeli hostages alive right now in Gaza."

Standing Together was set up in 2015 and works to bring Jews and Arabs together in what is becoming an increasingly divided society under a far-right government.

Like many in Israel, its members have been personally affected by the Hamas attack on October 7.

"We have members who lost their parents, we have leadership members that lost their cousins, we have parents that have been abducted and are alive right now in Gaza, and those people they managed to maintain a human message," Mr Green said.

Several bereaved relatives have issued calls for peace, including Noy Katsman, the brother of peace activist Hayim Katsman who was killed at his home in a southern kibbutz.

"I want you to keep on what my brother did and fight for peace and not agree to do stuff that will cause more violence and more hate,” he said a week after the attack.

Footage of Israeli hostage Noa Argamani has gone viral on social media, depicting the young woman pleading for her life as she was driven into Gaza on the back of a motorcycle.

Her father Yaakov later said of the hostages: "They are suffering too, they are being battered too. We have to stop this killing."

Magen Inon, a UK-based teacher who lost her parents Bilha and Yakov in the attack, has also called for peace.

“Our shared future is based on the belief that all human beings are equal and deserving of respect and safety. This is how I was raised and how I am raising my own children,” he wrote in an opinion piece for The Guardian.

“In the long term, and even if it’s very far away, the only real future is that of hope and peace. Please, stop the war.”

The daughter of 84-year-old Dita Heiman, also held in Gaza, has called for aid to enter the enclave to avoid "further human suffering", in a statement published on Instagram.

Others have taken a harder stance, warning that Hamas will target other communities if Israel relents with its attacks on Gaza.

Many of the hostages confirmed to be in Gaza are known for working with Palestinians in and outside Israel.

Oded Lifshitz, 83, who was taken captive by Hamas, has worked for decades campaigning for Palestinian rights, the National Union for Journalists said.

Mr Lifshitz, taken hostage with his wife, "was devoted to human rights and peace" and protested against Bedouin evictions in the Negev, the NUJ said.

"Every week, he went out in his car to the Erez checkpoint to transport sick residents of Gaza for treatment in the hospitals in Israel," it added.

Vivian Silver, 74, was kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Be'eri and is a leader of Women Wage Peace, a joint Palestinian-Jewish drive.

"We hear words of revenge: 'all restraints have been removed', 'we’ll wipe out Gaza'. But one cannot resolve one injustice with another," the organisation said in a statement confirming her abduction.

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What is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is the most popular virtual currency in the world. It was created in 2009 as a new way of paying for things that would not be subject to central banks that are capable of devaluing currency. A Bitcoin itself is essentially a line of computer code. It's signed digitally when it goes from one owner to another. There are sustainability concerns around the cryptocurrency, which stem from the process of "mining" that is central to its existence.

The "miners" use computers to make complex calculations that verify transactions in Bitcoin. This uses a tremendous amount of energy via computers and server farms all over the world, which has given rise to concerns about the amount of fossil fuel-dependent electricity used to power the computers.

Basquiat in Abu Dhabi

One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.

The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.

It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.

“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October

Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

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

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