Israeli forces kill 10 Palestinians across occupied West Bank

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza

Israeli forces have killed 10 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank in the past 24 hours, according to official Palestinian media and the Israeli army.

They included three people killed in a drone strike on the outskirts of the densely populated Jenin refugee camp on Wednesday night, Wafa news agency reported.

The camp has been frequently targeted in Israeli strikes and raids over the past year.

Abed Zaytoun, a 63-year-old man from Hebron, was also shot and killed by the Israeli army south of Bethlehem on Thursday morning, Wafa reported.

Palestinian medics were not allowed to approach or take his body to the hospital, the agency added, saying he was taken from the scene in an Israeli ambulance.

The Israeli army and internal security agency Shin Bet said an “aircraft”, believed to a drone, struck two “senior Islamic Jihad operatives inside a vehicle” in the Jenin attack.

Israel has used drones and jets to strike suspected targets in the occupied West Bank, but drones are more commonly used because they can track targets for long periods.

Four people, including an 18-year-old, were also killed in a continuing Israeli raid on Tulkarm's Nur Shams refugee camp, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.

On Thursday afternoon, the Israeli military said it had shot and killed a Palestinian who “aroused suspicion” at the Elazar Junction in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian health ministry did not immediately confirm the death.

It came hours after a 19-year-old was shot and killed by the Israeli army in Al Bireh, near Ramallah.

Israel has increased drone strikes in the occupied West Bank since the war in Gaza began in October. Jenin has been a recent target of strikes and raids, with violence escalating sharply even before the current war.

Israeli forces also raided Qalqilya and two other villages in Jenin in the early hours of Thursday, Wafa reported.

Two Palestinians aged 16 and 18 were arrested in Husan, west of Bethlehem.

Last week, Israeli security forces shot dead a Palestinian teenager after a stabbing attack in the West Bank amid rising tension during Ramadan.

After rising deaths throughout last year, violence in the West Bank spiked sharply after the war in Gaza broke out.

At least 430 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers there since early October and thousands more have been arrested, the Palestinian Authority said,

Stree

Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5

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

How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

The biog

Name: Fareed Lafta

Age: 40

From: Baghdad, Iraq

Mission: Promote world peace

Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi

Role models: His parents

Chatham House Rule

A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding, was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”.

The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.

The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events.

Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.

That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.

This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.

These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.

Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.

A little about CVRL

Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.

One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.

The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.