Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
An Israeli air attack on an ambulance being used to evacuate the wounded from besieged northern Gaza killed 15 people and injured 60 others on Friday, the Hamas-controlled enclave's health ministry said.
Israeli “aircraft struck an ambulance that was identified by forces as being used by a Hamas terrorist cell in proximity to their position in the battle zone”, an Israeli military statement said.
The military claimed a number of Hamas fighters had been killed in the strike and that it had information that Hamas was using ambulances to transport fighters and weapons.
Palestinian health authorities in Gaza said had Israel struck a convoy of ambulances that was to leave Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city towards the south of the enclave to evacuate injured people.
Ashraf Al Qidra, the Gaza Health Ministry's spokesman, said the convoy was hit both at the hospital gate and at Ansar Square a kilometre away.
Hamas-run Al Aqsa television cited the ministry as saying scores of people had been killed or injured.
Video shared on social media, verified by Reuters, showed people lying in blood next to an ambulance with flashing lights on a city street as people rushed to help.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has condemned the attack on the convoy of ambulances.
The PRCS said early on Saturday that one of its ambulances was struck “by a missile fired by the Israeli forces”, about two metres from the entrance to the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza city.
The attack resulted in the deaths of 15 civilians and wounded 60 other people, it said, mirroring figures released by the Hamas-run health ministry.
Another ambulance, belonging to the health ministry, was “directly targeted” by a missile around one kilometre from the hospital, causing injuries and damage, the PRCS said.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was “horrified” by the strike, adding that the conflict “must stop”.
“I am horrified by the reported attack in Gaza on an ambulance convoy outside Al Shifa hospital. The images of bodies strewn on the street outside the hospital are harrowing,” he said in the statement.
Insisting he did “not forget the terror attacks committed in Israel by Hamas”, the UN chief added that “for nearly one month, civilians in Gaza, including children and women, have been besieged, denied aid, killed, and bombed out of their homes.
“This must stop,” he said.
Earlier on Friday, Mr Al Qidra said ambulances would send critically injured Palestinians from Gaza city to the south of the enclave where they would cross over into Egypt for treatment.
Israel, which has accused Hamas of concealing command centres and tunnel entrances in Al Shifa Hospital, ordered all civilians to leave the north of Gaza last month. The military announced it had encircled the area on Thursday.
Hamas and Al Shifa Hospital authorities have denied the facility is used as a base by militant fighters.
World Health Organisation head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was “utterly shocked by reports of attacks on ambulances evacuating patients close to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza, leading to deaths, injuries and damage”.
“We reiterate: health workers, facilities and ambulances must be protected at all times,” Dr Tedros said in a post on X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter.
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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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The UN General Assembly President in quotes:
YEMEN: “The developments we have seen are promising. We really hope that the parties are going to respect the agreed ceasefire. I think that the sense of really having the political will to have a peace process is vital. There is a little bit of hope and the role that the UN has played is very important.”
PALESTINE: “There is no easy fix. We need to find the political will and comply with the resolutions that we have agreed upon.”
OMAN: “It is a very important country in our system. They have a very important role to play in terms of the balance and peace process of that particular part of the world, in that their position is neutral. That is why it is very important to have a dialogue with the Omani authorities.”
REFORM OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL: “This is complicated and it requires time. It is dependent on the effort that members want to put into the process. It is a process that has been going on for 25 years. That process is slow but the issue is huge. I really hope we will see some progress during my tenure.”
British Grand Prix free practice times in the third and final session at Silverstone on Saturday (top five):
1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 1:28.063 (18 laps)
2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) 1:28.095 (14)
3. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1:28.137 (20)
4. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari) 1:28.732 (15)
5. Nico Hulkenberg (GER/Renault) 1:29.480 (14)
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