Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
UN officials said they were horrified at the reports of mass graves at a major hospital in the Gazan city of Khan Younis, where local authorities said they found bodies stripped naked with their hands tied.
Civil defence teams have reported finding hundreds of bodies at Nasser Hospital this week since it was abandoned by Israeli troops, who left the medical complex badly damaged after raiding it.
Yamen Abu Suleiman, director of civil defence in Khan Younis, told CNN 35 bodies were discovered on Tuesday, bringing the total to 310.
“We do not know if they were buried alive or executed. Most of the bodies are decomposed,” he said.
Palestinian news agency Wafa reported people of various ages were found in the grave, which it said was created by the Israeli army before it withdrew from the hospital last month.
The UN voiced its alarm at the reports, with the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, saying he was "horrified".
He called for an independent investigation into the killing of civilians at Nasser Hospital and what was Gaza's largest medical complex, Al Shifa Hospital.
“The intentional killing of civilians, detainees and others who are 'hors de combat' is a war crime,” Mr Turk said.
“We feel the need to raise the alarm because clearly there have been multiple bodies discovered,” Mr Turk's representative Ravina Shamdasani said.
“Some of them had their hands tied, which indicates serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and these need to be subjected to further investigations,” she said.
Palestinians searching for relatives at Nasser Hospital said their bodies had been moved from their original burial site after previous raids on the hospital.
Israel denies claims
The Israeli military said claims it had buried bodies were “baseless and unfounded”.
It said forces searching for Israeli hostages had examined bodies previously buried by Palestinians near Nasser Hospital and had returned the bodies to where they were buried after examination.
“The examination was conducted in a careful manner and exclusively in places where intelligence indicated the possible presence of hostages. The examination was carried out respectfully while maintaining the dignity of the deceased,” it said.
The US called the scenes "deeply concerning" but the White House said it was "not in a position to confirm" their veracity.
"We will certainly talk to our Israeli counterparts to see what they know but I can't go into more detail," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
The Israeli army launched weeks-long raids on Nasser Hospital, killing and displacing medical staff and patients. The army had claimed that it was one of the hospitals were being used as command centres by Hamas.
Hospital authorities have denied the claims.
The Wafa report claimed that the “vast majority” of civilians killed in Gaza had been buried in mass graves, created by Israeli bulldozers before the army withdrew from particular areas.
It said about 2,000 people are missing across various parts of Gaza, including hundreds in Khan Younis.
In February, the enclave's Health Ministry said Nasser had been turned into a “military site” by Israel as wheelchair-bound patients and sick Palestinians were seen fleeing to the nearby city of Rafah.
Rafah warning
The UN's rights chief, Mr Turk, also warned against an Israeli offensive on Rafah in southern Gaza, the last refuge for more than a million Palestinians displaced from other areas in the enclave.
“The world’s leaders stand united on the imperative of protecting the civilian population trapped in Rafah,” Mr Turk said.
He also condemned an air strike on an apartment building in the Tal Al Sultan area of Rafah, which killed nine Palestinians, and a strike on a refugee camp that killed four people, including a girl and a pregnant woman.
“The latest images of a premature child taken from the womb of her dying mother, of the adjacent two houses where 15 children and five women were killed, this is beyond warfare,” said Mr Turk.
The mounting death toll comes as the war enters its 200th day.
About 34,200 Palestinians have been killed and 77,143 wounded since the war began on October 7, caused by the Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people, with 240 taken hostage by the militant group.
While ground forces largely withdrew from southern Gaza earlier this month, air strikes and shelling continue across the enclave, according to Palestinian media.
Beaches in Al Zawaida, Deir Al Balah, and Nuseirat were all bombed at dawn on Tuesday as “intense raids” were reported across the north, the official Wafa news agency reported.
Intense air strikes were also reported in Khan Younis.
Also on Tuesday, a Palestinian was killed in the occupied West Bank city of Jericho amid army raids on the city and its surrounding refugee camps.
Shadi Issa Galaita, 46, was shot dead while two others, including a child, were wounded, according to Wafa.
More on animal trafficking
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What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
'Peninsula'
Stars: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Ra
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Rating: 2/5
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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.”
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Emirates exiles
Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.
Jonny Macdonald
Abu Dhabi-born and raised, the current Jebel Ali Dragons assistant coach was selected to play for Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2011.
Jordan Onojaife
Having started rugby by chance when the Jumeirah College team were short of players, he later won the World Under 20 Championship with England.
Devante Onojaife
Followed older brother Jordan into England age-group rugby, as well as the pro game at Northampton Saints, but recently switched allegiance to Scotland.
