Live updates: follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Ashdod port will open for urgently needed shipments of flour for Gaza in “hours or days”, a senior Israeli military officer said on Monday.
As Palestinians in the enclave increasingly face starvation, it was suggested at a press briefing attended by The National that a maritime humanitarian route from Cyprus could also begin soon.
The Ashdod plan was announced by the White House over the weekend but Israel had not publicly commented on the deal until Monday.
During a briefing with international journalists, Colonel Elad Goren, who leads on civil issues in Gaza, was asked about Washington’s announcement on getting food through the Israeli port, which is just 26km north of the territory.
“There are several steps that we need to do in order to implement it,” he said. “I'm sure that we will know more in the next few hours or days.”
The flour is desperately needed to make bread for Palestinians barely surviving on the limited supplies being allowed in, especially in northern Gaza, which is largely cut off from the south but which still hosts 200,000 people. The cost of a 25kg bag of flour in Gaza has soared from $10 before the war to $50.
Lord Cameron, Britain’s Foreign Secretary, stated that the Ashdod opening was a “welcome move”.
“The UK has been pushing hard for Ashdod to be used for the delivery of life-saving aid into Gaza,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “We need these shipments to continue and for this port to remain open for aid.”
A spokesman for Israel's Co-ordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) clarified that "no final decision had been made" on the opening of Ashdod port for flour imports.
Col Goren, who leads the Civil Department of the Co-ordination of Government Activities in the Territories (Cogat), was also asked about the proposal made by European powers to send ships from Cyprus to Gaza.
“I can assure you that we are learning the challenges and once we will learn it with our partners, other countries that are interested in this issue, we will implement it.”
The plan is for 2,000 tonnes of aid per vessel to be loaded at the Cypriot port of Larnaca. It would be checked by a joint committee including Israel.
The aid convoys would then be escorted by warships to an area on the Gaza coast, from where it would be landed on the shore.
The UN has warned that Gaza’s entire population of 2.3 million is at imminent risk of famine and the only way to stop a catastrophe is by an immediate ceasefire and aid.
It has estimated that almost 380,000 Palestinians there are currently at catastrophic levels of food insecurity, experiencing an extreme lack of food that is exhausting their coping mechanisms.
Col Goren said the Israeli military would “do everything that we can in order to minimise harm to the civilian population” and would help “facilitate the entrance of humanitarian aid” into Gaza.
He added that Israel had helped set up six field hospitals in the territory that had treated 6,000 Palestinians, with another two coming in the next week.
Israel has rejected calls for a ceasefire and vowed to continue the war in Gaza until it achieves its objective of destroying the militant group Hamas, which launched an attack on Israel on October 7 in which about 1,200 Israelis were killed.
More than 25,200 Palestinians have been killed and about 63,000 have been injured since the outbreak of the war, the health ministry in Gaza reported on Monday.
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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.
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.
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