Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected Hamas's demands for a ceasefire and said the military would continue its offensive in Gaza until it achieved “absolute victory”.
“I believe continued military pressure is a necessary condition for releasing the hostages,” Mr Netanyahu told reporters.
“We are advancing step by step to absolute victory, and that requires absolute unity.”
The rejection comes after mediators from the US, Egypt and Qatar hammered out a proposal that would have led to a three-stage truce and the phased release of hostages in return for freeing thousands of Palestinians detained in Israeli jails.
Hamas responded to the initial proposal with a counter proposal in which it called for a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and a three-stage truce of 45 days each, during which indirect negotiations between the Palestinian militant group and Israel could get under way to reach a permanent cessation of hostilities.
Mr Netanyahu called Hamas's rebuttal "delusional" and vowed to keep fighting.
At a Beirut press conference following Mr Netanyahu's remarks, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said the comments proved that the Israeli leader sought to continue conflict in the region.
Mr Hamdan, who said a Hamas delegation would head to Cairo for talks with Qatari and Egyptian officials, told reporters that his group “was ready for all options”.
Mr Netanyahu shut down any possibility of a temporary ceasefire in exchange for the return of hostages, instead doubling down on his country's war efforts.
He praised Israeli soldiers' efforts in the Gaza Strip, claiming they had killed 20,000 “terrorists”.
The truce rejection came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Israel at the end of a Middle East trip during which he had been working on securing a ceasefire.
Mr Blinken struck a slightly more optimistic tone than the Israeli Prime Minister, acknowledging that there were issues with Hamas's response but suggesting there was “space” for an eventual agreement to be reached.
“There are clearly non-starters in what Hamas put forward,” Mr Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv.
“But we also see space in what came back to pursue negotiations to see if we can get to an agreement.”
The secretary, who is on his fifth trip to the Middle East and seventh to Israel since October 7, has spent months trying to reel in Israel's military campaign in Gaza, while simultaneously supporting the country's right to defend itself.
He has also reiterated the need to get more aid into Gaza and the importance of creating a “clear and credible pathway to a Palestinian state” – something the Israelis appear uninterested in pursuing.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry more than 27,700 people, the majority of them civilians, have been killed since Israel launched its military campaign in the enclave following Hamas's attack on southern Israel in which militants killed about 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 240.
Mr Netanyahu, who has long opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, said peace would only be achieved with an Israeli victory.
“They will look good if we win and they won't if we don't win,” he told reporters.
Latest from the Israel-Gaza war – in pictures
“We need to understand that everybody's just sitting on the bleachers right now, on the sidelines, our friends, our enemies, neutral countries, everybody's watching and they want to know who's going to win: Israel or Hamas,” Mr Netanyahu said.
While there appears to be a considerable gap between what Washington is pursuing and what the Israelis are willing to do, Mr Blinken has refrained from losing his patience with Israeli leaders in public.
“There has been space between the Biden administration and Netanyahu from the beginning of this effort,” said Aaron David Miller, a former State Department Middle East analyst and current senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“But … instead of accentuating the differences, the President has chosen a different pathway, which is to somehow figure out a way to work within those differences.”
The Israeli Prime Minister, who for months has been under unrelenting pressure from the families of hostages, acknowledged the pain his decision was likely to cause.
“I do understand the pain of the families of the hostages and of the fallen soldiers,” he said.
He also took aim at the US, which recently sanctioned four Israeli settlers for involvement in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, calling the punitive measures “inappropriate”.
“It harms an entire population, a sector of the settlers who are law-abiding and their sons are a part of the war,” Mr Netanyahu said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
Company profile
Name: The Concept
Founders: Yadhushan Mahendran, Maria Sobh and Muhammad Rijal
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 7
Sector: Aviation and space industry
Funding: $250,000
Future plans: Looking to raise $1 million investment to boost expansion and develop new products
The team
Videographer: Jear Velasquez
Photography: Romeo Perez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Models: Meti and Clinton at MMG
Video assistant: Zanong Maget
Social media: Fatima Al Mahmoud
A%20MAN%20FROM%20MOTIHARI
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdullah%20Khan%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPenguin%20Random%20House%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E304%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
%20Ramez%20Gab%20Min%20El%20Akher
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Arrogate's winning run
1. Maiden Special Weight, Santa Anita Park, June 5, 2016
2. Allowance Optional Claiming, Santa Anita Park, June 24, 2016
3. Allowance Optional Claiming, Del Mar, August 4, 2016
4. Travers Stakes, Saratoga, August 27, 2016
5. Breeders' Cup Classic, Santa Anita Park, November 5, 2016
6. Pegasus World Cup, Gulfstream Park, January 28, 2017
7. Dubai World Cup, Meydan Racecourse, March 25, 2017
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo
Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua
Based: Dubai, UAE
Number of employees: 28
Sector: Financial services
Investment: $9.5m
Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors.
Defending champions
World Series: South Africa
Women’s World Series: Australia
Gulf Men’s League: Dubai Exiles
Gulf Men’s Social: Mediclinic Barrelhouse Warriors
Gulf Vets: Jebel Ali Dragons Veterans
Gulf Women: Dubai Sports City Eagles
Gulf Under 19: British School Al Khubairat
Gulf Under 19 Girls: Dubai Exiles
UAE National Schools: Al Safa School
International Invitational: Speranza 22
International Vets: Joining Jack
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
The five pillars of Islam
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes