Survivors of Israeli air strikes on the Sheikh Zayed neighbourhood in Gaza said they feared for their lives as their homes crashed down on top of them.
More than 15 Israeli air strikes hit the neighbourhood in the north of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday night, flattening six buildings, residents said.
Rescuers and others in the rubble in front of Al Shorouq tower that collapsed after being hit by an Israeli air strike, in Gaza City. AFP
Sunrise through a haze of cloud and smoke after an Israeli strike on Gaza City. AP
A man walks past the rubble of the destroyed Al Shorouq tower after an Israeli strike in Gaza City. EPA
People survey the damage on a street after an Israeli air strike in Gaza City. AP
Smoke from the Israeli air strike on Al Shorouq tower in Gaza City. EPA
Israeli police patrol during clashes between Arabs, police and Jews, in the mixed town of Lod. As rockets from Gaza streaked overhead, Arabs and Jews fought each other on the streets below. Rioters torched vehicles, a restaurant and a synagogue. AP
Israeli troops during clashes with Palestinian protesters in the West Bank city of Hebron. EPA
Rockets launched from the Gaza Strip streak towards Israel. AP
Israeli troops during clashes with Palestinian protesters in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank. EPA
A Palestinian man at a hospital in Gaza City, where those injured or killed in Israeli air strikes are transferred. AFP
Smoke and flames from an Israeli air strike on a building in Gaza City. AP
Palestinian protesters in the West Bank city of Hebron, where they clashed with Israeli troops. EPA
Smoke billows from an explosion following an Israeli airstrike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
An Israeli Apache attack helicopter releases flares near Sderot, in southern Israel, on the border with the Gaza Strip. AFP
Israeli artillery soldiers prepare propelling charges for a howitzer at the border with Gaza. EPA
Some from rockets fired towards Israel by Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas billows in the air in Gaza City. AFP
Khaled Almalfouh, 25, told The National: "I heard the sound of bombing. It was huge and didn't stop, so we gathered in one room in our home and suddenly the house collapsed around us."
Mr Almalfouh said his mother told them to stay in one room so they could survive, or die, together.
It took rescuers more than 30 minutes to pull Mr Almalfouh and seven other members of his family from the rubble after a bomb landed near by, bringing down the three-storey apartment building in which they live.
“My neighbour who lived on the third floor is lost with his wife and four children,” he said.
“I witnessed death while I was under the rubble. I wondered if we would survive.”
Mr Almalfouh's sister, Alaa, was at the family home with her three children. She left her own home in the Tal Al Zateer neighbourhood two days earlier after receiving a warning of an impending Israeli strike on the building.
“Suddenly bombing was everywhere,” she said. “I hugged my children and told them how much I love them, because I could not imagine we would survive.
“In moments we were under rubble, I started to call for my children and neighbours to be sure if they were alive.”
Alaa’s eldest daughter sustained head injuries.
“My five-year-old daughter cries all the time now, she doesn’t understand what happened,” she said.
Alaa spends her time in the hospital, where her mother is being treated for two broken legs.
The owner of Alaa's building, Rabah Al Madhoun, told The National there was no time to evacuate before the bombs fell.
"My neighbour received a call telling him that the building would be targeted, Mr Al Madhoun said. "He came to warn us but the air strikes started immediately – people didn't have time to evacuate."
Gaza's health ministry said two bodies belonging to members of Mr Al Madhoun's family, who lived in the building, were pulled from the rubble.
Rescuers continued to search for survivors and bodies on Thursday night.
Militants in Gaza continued to fire rockets at Israel in a fourth day of violence, as the Israeli air attacks continued.
Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for Hamas's armed wing, on Thursday announced that a new, longer-range rocket named the Ayyash 250 was in service in revenge for the Israeli killings of several high-ranking leaders of the group.
The new rocket, he said, had a range of 250 kilometres, and several were fired at Ramon airport near Eilat in Israel.
At least 87 Palestinians, including 18 children, have died in Gaza since the fighting began, the health ministry reported. At least 530 people have been injured.
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE) Where: Allianz Arena, Munich Live: BeIN Sports HD Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
Manifest cargo
Excess luggage in the hold
Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
