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Ahed Tamimi instantly became an anti-occupation icon in the West Bank and the Middle East when she slapped an Israeli soldier attempting to raid her home at the age of 16.
That moment in 2017, caught on camera and followed by eight months in prison, turned the once-shy girl with the long mane of strawberry-blonde curls into the “lioness” of her village of Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah.
On Monday, Ahed, now 22, was arrested again, this time for “inciting violence” in a since-deleted Instagram post, amid the Israel-Gaza war that has claimed the lives of more than 10,000 civilians in the strip, including 4,000 children, according to local Palestinian authorities.
Her mother told The National she does not know where she is being held.
Ahed was never one to conform to society's expectations, her mother, Nariman Tamimi said. She spent much of her childhood playing football alongside her three brothers outside their family home.
“Her favourite player was (Brazilian) Neymar. We even got a family friend to get a signed T-shirt for Ahed from Spain.”
Like many in the occupied territories, her life has been marked by tragedy and restrictions.
Israeli forces killed two of her uncles and an aunt, while her mother was arrested in 2018. Her father, Bassem, is currently in Israeli custody after being detained 10 days ago on his way to Jordan.
It is unclear if the post that led to her recent arrest came from an account belonging to her or from someone claiming to be her.
“Every time she creates a new account, it's hacked,” said Nariman. “Even the account they say made the post they arrested her about has been hacked.”
Ahed has never fit with the image of muqawama, meaning resistance to the occupation – almost always angry, weapon-wielding Palestinian men. She is not the person the world sees, explains her family.
“She's quiet and shy, she keeps to herself” and has an understated bravery, said Nariman.
When she was taken from her home on Monday, Ahed said: “Mama, don't worry. I'm strong. I'll be OK”, her mother said.
“She was waiting for this moment [her arrest]. She hasn't been sleeping lately.”
Palestinian residents say the threats and pressure from settlers, emboldened by the most far-right government in Israel's history, have grown worse since the deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7.
Since then, the UN has recorded more than 170 settler-related attacks on Palestinians, hundreds of whom have been forced from their homes.
Nariman said her daughter felt the pressure mounting against her as settlers called for her arrest.
“That's why she was fully dressed, shoes and all when she was taken.
“Ever since October 7, it's been increasingly difficult to know where the detainees are being kept. We still don't know anything about Ahed,” added the mother.
Israeli soldiers raiding her home had threatened the entire family, Nariman said.
“They called Ahed all kinds of insults. They said they're coming for me and my eldest son, Wa'd, next.”
Ahed has been studying to become a lawyer, her mother said, but she had been ill and had missed out on university.
“She's tired and unwell. There's nothing normal about this.”
Her father earlier blamed his generation for his daughter's struggles.
“We failed to end the occupation and we gave our children the occupation. But I feel happy that (Ahed) represents her generation,” he said in 2018.
In a published letter she wrote after prison in 2018, the Palestinian teenager highlighted the daily struggles of life under occupation that prevented her from living a normal life.
“If I were permitted to be a regular teenager living in a normal country, I would play sports. I wanted to become a football player but I don’t play here because there is no time,” she wrote.
“Instead, I have been involved in demonstrations and confrontations with the Israeli army since I was a child.”
Earlier this year, she published a memoir, They Called Me a Lioness.
“What would you do if you grew up seeing your home repeatedly raided? Your parents arrested? Your mother shot? Your uncle killed? Try, for just a moment, to imagine that this was your life,” the memoir begins.
Men’s singles
Group A: Son Wan-ho (Kor), Lee Chong Wei (Mas), Ng Long Angus (HK), Chen Long (Chn)
Group B: Kidambi Srikanth (Ind), Shi Yugi (Chn), Chou Tien Chen (Tpe), Viktor Axelsen (Den)
Women’s Singles
Group A: Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn), Pusarla Sindhu (Ind), Sayaka Sato (Jpn), He Bingjiao (Chn)
Group B: Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe), Sung Hi-hyun (Kor), Ratchanok Intanon (Tha), Chen Yufei (Chn)
RACE CARD
5pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Purebred Arabian Cup Conditions (PA); Dh 200,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Cup Conditions (PA); Dh 200,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Cup Listed (TB); Dh 380,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Group 3 (PA); Dh 500,000 (T) 1,600m
7pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Jewel Crown Group 1 (PA); Dh 5,000,000 (T) 2,200m
7.30pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Handicap (PA); Dh 150,000 (T) 1,400m
8pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 (T); 1,400m
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Five hymns the crowds can join in
Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday
Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir
Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium
‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song
‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar
‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion
‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope
The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’
There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia
The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ
They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening
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RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m, Winner SS Lamea, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer).
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m, Winner AF Makerah, Sean Kirrane, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m, Winner Maaly Al Reef, Brett Doyle, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 1,600m, Winner AF Momtaz, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m, Winner Morjanah Al Reef, Brett Doyle, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 2,200m, Winner Mudarrab, Jim Crowley, Erwan Charpy
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
The 15 players selected
Muzzamil Afridi, Rahman Gul, Rizwan Haider (Dezo Devils); Shahbaz Ahmed, Suneth Sampath (Glory Gladiators); Waqas Gohar, Jamshaid Butt, Shadab Ahamed (Ganga Fighters); Ali Abid, Ayaz Butt, Ghulam Farid, JD Mahesh Kumara (Hiranni Heros); Inam Faried, Mausif Khan, Ashok Kumar (Texas Titans
Tewellah by Nawal Zoghbi is out now.
'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'
Director:Michael Lehmann
Stars:Kristen Bell
Rating: 1/5
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
Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
