Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Desperately needed food aid delivery to the besieged Gaza enclave is under threat after an Israeli air strike on Deir Al Balah killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, forcing the non-profit and at least one other NGO supplying food assistance in Gaza, to pause its operations.
World Central Kitchen said it was pausing operations “immediately in the region” and that they would be making a decision about any future work in due course.
American Near East Refugee Aid on Tuesday announced that it would suspend its operations in Gaza after the strike on the World Central Kitchen aid convoy.
“As it stands, currently delivering aid puts not just humanitarian workers at risk but also those who are receiving the aid,” it said.
“Our team in Gaza has determined that at this point the risk of actively delivering aid is far too great.” Anera focuses on delivering humanitarian relief items, including food.
Anera said the pause would continue while staff “feel unsafe doing their work” and placed responsibility on Israel “to ensure the safety of humanitarian aid workers”.
Cyprus said on Tuesday afternoon that ships that had arrived in Gaza were turning back with 240 tonnes of undelivered aid.
Cypriot Foreign Ministry spokesman Theodoros Gotsis said that about 100 tonnes of aid had been unloaded before World Central Kitchen suspended operations after its workers were killed.
Sources confirmed to The National that the second aid boat has been sent back.
Israel said it was conducting a thorough investigation into the air strike. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that forces “unintentionally” killed aid workers in Gaza.
“Unfortunately, in the past day there was a tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants in the Gaza Strip,” Mr Netanyahu said on X.
“This happens in war. We are conducting a thorough inquiry and are in contact with the governments. We will do everything to prevent a recurrence.
The WCK team was killed while travelling through a deconflicted zone in armoured vehicles branded with their logo.
The seven victims were from Australia, Poland, the UK and Palestine, as well as a dual citizen from the US and Canada.
This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organisations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable
Erin Gore,
World Central Kitchen chief executive
The group was hit while leaving a warehouse in Deir Al Balah despite co-ordinating its movements with the Israeli military, the organisation said.
The convoy was struck by three separate missiles fired one after the other, according to Israeli outlet Haaretz.
“This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organisations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said chief executive Erin Gore.
The organisation posted an image and statement mourning the aid workers lost in the strike.
World Central Kitchen named the "heroes" as: Relief team members Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, Australian Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom, Damian Sobol of Poland, US-Canada dual citizen Jacob Flickinger, and security team members John Chapman, James Henderson and Jams Kirby, all of the UK.
Cyprus vowed on Tuesday to maintain its Gaza maritime aid corridor despite the attack.
“The tragic events should not discourage us. We must double down on our efforts to provide more assistance as the needs dramatically escalate”, said Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides at an aid co-ordination centre in the port city of Larnaca.
Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said that the deadly strike would not affect the initiative, but that “re-co-ordination will need to take place” due to security concerns.
The UAE and Cyprus have expressed their “profound condemnation” of the strike. The two countries denounced all acts of violence against humanitarian workers and reiterated that strikes against aid staff are a breach of international law. Through the Amalthea Initiative, the countries aim to provide urgent humanitarian aid and supplies to Gazans.
The British Foreign Minister confirmed that it had summoned the Israeli ambassador over the deaths of aid workers in Gaza.
“I set out the Government's unequivocal condemnation of the appalling killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including three British Nationals,” Britain's Minister for Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell, said.
“I requested a quick and transparent investigation, shared with the international community, and full accountability.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington had told Israel to conduct a “thorough and impartial” investigation into the deadly strike.
“We’ve spoken directly to the Israeli Government about this particular incident,” Mr Blinken said during a visit to France.
“We've arranged a swift and thorough and impartial investigation to understand exactly what happened. We've pressed upon the Israelis the absolute imperative of doing more to protect innocent civilian lives”.
US President Joe Biden called World Central Kitchen founder and celebrity chef Jose Andres after the deadly strike, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.
“He called the chef Jose Andres to express that he's heart-broken by this news of the air strike that killed seven aid workers and to express his deepest condolences,” she said.
“President Biden conveyed his grieving with the entire World Central Kitchen family.”
Ms Jean-Pierre also said that Mr Biden “will make clear to Israel that humanitarian aid workers must be protected”.
France's Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne “strongly condemned” the incident.
“Protecting humanitarian workers is a moral and legal imperative that everyone must adhere to,” Mr Sejourne said at a press conference, alongside Mr Blinken. “Nothing justifies such a tragedy.”
Bloodied passports were seen on the bodies of those killed, wearing WCK-branded vests, in footage posted to social media on Monday night.
The organisation said bodies were retrieved by the Palestinian Red Crescent after a “challenging operation spanning several hours”.
All seven are now being taken to the Rafah border crossing.
A funeral was held on Tuesday for Issam Abu Taha, a Palestinian employee of World Central Kitchen.
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed Australian citizen Lalzawmi Franckom was among the dead.
“This is completely unacceptable. Australia expects full accountability for the deaths of aid workers,” Mr Albanese said, before offering his “sincere condolences” to her family.
Poland also confirmed one of its citizens, who has not been publicly identified, was killed in the attack.
“Poland objects to the disregard for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians, including humanitarian workers,” the country's Foreign Ministry said on X.
The UK said it is “urgently seeking further information” on the British citizen killed in the strike.
“We haven't had it confirmed yet, but we are very, very concerned by the situation,” Education Secretary Gillian Keegan told the BBC.
“One of the key things is trying to ensure we get more aid into Gaza, so if one of the charities working on the ground has suspended [operations], then that's obviously deeply concerning.”
British Foreign Minister David Cameron on Tuesday said the death of aid workers, including at least one British citizen, was “deeply distressing” and called on Israel to investigate and provide an explanation.
“British Nationals are reported to have been killed, we are urgently working to verify this information and will provide full support to their families,” Lord Cameron said on X.
The UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said it held Israel “fully responsible for this dangerous development” and demanded an “urgent, independent and transparent investigation into what happened”.
In a statement, the ministry offered its condolences to the victims’ families and their countries and stressed the need to immediately stop violence and avoid targeting civilians, while demanding not to use food as a weapon.
Jordan's King Abdullah has also sent his condolences to WCK over the “tragic deaths”.
“We thank you for your sacrifice and humanity,” he said on X.
Videos shared on social media by WCK showed how victims of the strike had worked at a kitchen in Deir Al Balah last week, preparing thousands of meals for locals.
The non-profit group said the space was being expanded to provide for more families in central Gaza.
WCK is one of two charities organising humanitarian aid to Gaza through a maritime corridor as famine spreads across the enclave.
It worked with Open Arms to send the first aid ship from Cyprus last month.
The team had delivered 100 tonnes of food aid brought through the corridor shortly before their convoy was hit, the NGO said.
The pause in operations comes shortly after the UN warned famine is imminent in Gaza, where more than 32,800 people have been killed since October.
At least 30 people, mostly children, have died of starvation in recent weeks, Gaza's health authorities said.
The Cypriot Foreign Ministry has called for a “swift and conclusive” investigation into the strike, saying international humanitarian law is “absolute”.
“Humanitarian aid workers must always be respected and protected,” it said.
Additional reporting from Gillian Duncan in London
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
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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
