Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Israel said that it would withdraw five brigades from Gaza, a move that has led one US official to say the intensity of the conflict is reducing.
Israeli officials, however, released mixed messages on the issue, saying military operations were shifting focus and fighting would continue for months.
Rocket fire from Gaza has dropped sharply in recent weeks as fighting has raged throughout the densely populated enclave of 2.3 million people, killing around 22,000 Palestinians. Israeli operations including air strikes, were reported in central Gaza on Tuesday.
Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant suggested a decline in violence will allow some Israeli “displaced communities home, in areas within a range of four to seven kilometres north of the Gaza Strip”.
Yet Maj Gen Yaron Finkelman, the chief of the Israeli army’s Southern Command, said that fighting will continue throughout Gaza, “in a variety of methods, in a variety of intensities, and in varying forms”.
“We are continuing the training of officers and commanders … After their experience in combat, they are returning to training and will join the army's line of commanders when they finish,” Israeli military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said.
Why is the Israeli army pulling forces back in Gaza?
Soldiers cannot remain in intense combat for weeks on end and are often taken from the front to rest and recuperate.
Secondly, the army wants some of these brigades, which were also used for military training, to pass on their combat experience to soldiers in training within Israel. And the third reason relates to Israel’s economy, which has been hit hard by the war.
The decision is also not new – Israeli media reported in early December that some of the reserve forces would be withdrawn and replaced – meaning no overall reduction in forces – after fighting in northern Gaza shifted south.
Adm Hagari said “some of the reservists will return to their families and work this week”.
This would provide a boost for the economy, he said, which has shrunk by around two per cent as hundreds of thousands of reservists have been pulled from the workplace and into military roles.
“It will result in considerable relief for the economy, and will allow them to gain strength for operations next year, and the fighting will continue and we will need them,” he said.
How many soldiers does Israel have in Gaza?
The pullback of five brigades – perhaps up to 15,000 soldiers – will mark a significant reduction in the Israeli ground presence.
But the Israeli army will still have elements of about five divisions in Gaza and while the divisions vary widely in strength, they can each comprise 10,000 to 20,000 troops.
The soon-to-be withdrawn 551st Reserve Parachute Brigade for example, which was fighting around Beit Hanoun, is one of six brigades in the 98th Infantry Division, which has a headquarters in Gaza.
For context, Israel invaded Gaza with around 20,000 troops in the north of the strip alone, having built up a force that was by some estimates up to 300,000 strong after emergency mobilisation in southern Israel.
The combat contingent later grew to around 40,000 – perhaps more – because military doctrine says attacking forces need at least a three-to-one numerical advantage.
Hamas and its allies have between 20,000 and 30,000 fighters, meaning that the Israelis are likely to have had many more than 40,000 deployed to Gaza at a given time.
A US official said the decision appeared to indicate the start of a shift to lower-intensity operations in the north of the Palestinian enclave.
Washington has been urging Israel to reduce the intensity of its military operation, amid international calls for a ceasefire as the death toll mounts.
The five pillars of Islam
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
