Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Satellite images have shown the scale of displacement in Gaza since the Israeli army issued orders to forcibly displace them from the city of Rafah, west of Khan Younis, on May 6.
Pictures from Maxar Technologies show a huge increase in the number of tents and shelters west of Khan Younis on May 15, when compared with images of the same area less than two weeks before, on May 4.
Palestinian families in Gaza have been forced to head to different locations numerous times in the past seven months after receiving warnings from the Israeli military.
Hundreds of thousands of people in the enclave are now living in tents in the so-called "safe zone" of Al Mawasi, which is barely equipped with basic services.
Most of Gaza’s population of more than 2.3 million people have been displaced since fighting began on October 7.
Israeli officials say the "evacuations" are aimed at sparing civilian lives as soldiers fight against Hamas fighters.
But many in Gaza say they have nowhere to go, with entire neighbourhoods destroyed.
The fear now is that if Palestinians leave Gaza altogether, they will never be allowed to return.
Their situation will be like those who were forced to leave in the 1948 Nakba, which means "catastrophe".
In the southern Gaza city of Rafah, the UN said that 600,000 people have been displaced since Israel intensified military operations in the south Gaza city earlier this month.
UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said on Thursday that "600,000 people have fled Rafah since military operations intensified".
At the same time, another 100,000 people have fled their homes amid renewed fighting in northern Gaza, the UN agency said on Tuesday, meaning that about a quarter of Gaza's population has been displaced again in just over a week.
Israel issued an initial evacuation order for eastern Rafah on May 6, and it has repeatedly expanded the areas ordered to be emptied of civilians since then as it prepares for a widely feared ground assault.
The UN has warned of an "epic" disaster if Israel conducts an outright invasion of the city where 1.4 million people – many displaced from elsewhere in war-torn Gaza – had been sheltering.
The war began with a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, in which Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostage.
Gaza’s health authorities said more than 35,200 Palestinians have been killed in the war.
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group F
Manchester City v Hoffenheim, midnight (Wednesday, UAE)
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
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
LOVE%20AGAIN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Jim%20Strouse%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStars%3A%20Priyanka%20Chopra%20Jonas%2C%20Sam%20Heughan%2C%20Celine%20Dion%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars
Mobile phone packages comparison
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
