Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Two people were killed on Monday morning in the latest wave of raids by Israeli forces across the occupied West Bank as air strikes targeting the Gaza Strip continued after a hostage rescue operation in the enclave killed at least 274 Palestinians.
Israeli forces swept through parts of the West Bank in overnight raids, searching dozens of houses and arresting a number of Palestinians, local media reported.
A 15 year old was shot dead during a five-hour raid in Far'a refugee camp, north-east of Nablus, in which four other young men were arrested, Wafa news agency reported.
In Tulkarem, Israeli snipers stationed themselves on the roofs of houses and “opened fire randomly”, Wafa said. A 21-year-old man was shot and severely injured. He later died from his wounds after Israeli forces reportedly prevented ambulances from reaching him.
Clashes also took place in Hebron on Sunday evening, with Israeli forces firing bullets and tear gas. A minor was arrested and another was injured after he was shot in the back.
Three minors were arrested on Sunday evening in Beit Hanina in occupied East Jerusalem.
Mohammed Azem, the mayor of Sebastia, a village close to Nablus, told Wafa that Israeli forces raided the main street linking Jenin and Nablus and demolished a telecom tower.
The Palestinian Prisoner's Society on Monday said that 30 people have been arrested so far in raids carried out across the occupied West Bank, with the majority being in Bethlehem, with some reported in Qalqilya, Jenin, Nablus, Hebron and Tubas.
"The occupation forces continue to carry out widespread harassment, severe beatings, and threats against detainees and their families, in addition to sabotaging and destroying citizens' homes," the society said in a statement quoted by Wafa.
Three people were arrested in the West Bank city of Qalqilya, plus nine in Bethlehem, while another three were detained in Jenin after occupation forces raided and searched their homes, Wafa reported. Raids were also reported in villages west of Ramallah.
The Jenin refugee camp has long been a target of Israeli military campaigns, particularly since the war broke out in Gaza on October 7. Benjamin Netanyahu's government claims the camp is a stronghold of armed factions responsible for committing and plotting attacks against Israel.
Since October 7, at least 534 people have been killed in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, including 133 children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. More than 5,200 have been injured.
Meanwhile, Israeli air strikes continue pounding the Gaza Strip.
At least five people were killed in Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis and Rafah on Monday morning. Medical sources cited by Wafa said 30 injured people arrived at the Al Nasser medical complex. Three people were killed in an air strike on a house in Rafah, Palestinian media said.
Two people were killed in an overnight strike targeting a family residence in the Shujaiya neighbourhood in Gaza city. Family homes were also hit in the Zeitoun and Tal Al Hawa neighbourhoods, although there was no information about casualties.
Heavy bombardment was also reported in northern areas of Rafah, the enclave's southernmost city, and in Deir Al Balah in central Gaza, causing an unspecified number of casualties.
Gaza is still reeling from one of the deadliest days of the war on Saturday, when 274 Palestinians were killed as Israeli forces raided the Nuseirat refugee camp to free four Israeli hostages. An Israeli commando was wounded during the fighting and later died.
Hundreds of Palestinians were injured in the raid, overwhelming hospitals already struggling to treat the wounded from previous Israeli attacks.
The hostage rescue mission also affected the delivery of much-needed aid in Gaza. The World Food Programme said distribution of aid delivered via a US-built pier in central Gaza was suspended due to security concerns after the Israeli operation in Nuseirat.
The raid came amid efforts by mediators to broker a ceasefire agreement that includes the release of all hostages seized by Hamas during its attack on southern Israel on October 7 that triggered the Gaza war.
Israeli Prime Minister Mr Netanyahu's handling of the hostage crisis, as well as postwar plans for Gaza, have created divisions in his government, with National Unity party leader Benny Gantz resigning from the war cabinet on Sunday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was scheduled to meet Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gantz during a visit to Israel on Monday in a bid to push forward the ceasefire negotiations.
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
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11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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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.”
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
