Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
The humanitarian situation is rapidly growing worse in southern Gaza, where people displaced by the war have been crammed in a “highly congested area along the beach in the burning summer heat”.
Active conflict and lawlessness in the area have made it “near impossible” for the World Food Programme and its partners to meet the surging demand, the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said in its latest situation report issued on Wednesday.
There is also a critical lack of milk and formula for babies and nutritional supplements for children and pregnant and breastfeeding women, Ocha said.
“Many households report having only one meal every day, with some having one meal every two or three days, relying mostly on bread, food sharing with other families and rationing stocks,” it said.
WFP deputy executive director Carl Skau, who spent two days in Gaza this month, said the situation in the was "quickly deteriorating".
"A million people have been pushed out of Rafah and are trapped in a highly congested area along the beach in the burning summer heat. We drove through rivers of sewage.”
Displaced Gazans are living in overcrowded makeshift shelters and tents that are in dire need of repair and do not offer any protection from extreme heat, it said.
Most of Rafah city's estimated population of 1.5 million were forced to leave when Israel's military began a ground operation there on May 7.
Ocha said there are an estimated 60,000 to 75,000 people in Al Mawasi, a coastal area west of Rafah that the military has declared a safe zone.
Mr Skau said that while food deliveries to northern Gaza had improved, humanitarian workers there were finding it more difficult to do their job.
“Staff spend five to eight hours waiting at checkpoints every day. Missiles hit our premises, despite being deconflicted," he said.
Israel's military continues to attack sites across Gaza, including Al Mawasi, in the ninth month of its war against the Hamas militant group.
More 37,400 people have been killed and more than 85,500 have been injured since the war began on October 7, according to the latest toll released by Gaza's health authorities on Thursday.
Israeli forces pounded areas in the central Gaza Strip overnight, killing at least three people and wounding dozens of others, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported.
At least two women were killed and 12 others injured in Israeli air strikes on a house in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
In Deir Al Balah, one civilian was killed and several others injured when a missile launched from a drone hit a gathering, according to medical sources.
Israeli artillery shelled the Al Bureij and Al Moghazi refugee camps, also in central Gaza, and central and western Rafah and eastern Khan Younis, both in southern Gaza, Wafa said.
The Israeli army said on Thursday that troops were continuing "precise, intelligence-based, operational activity" in Rafah, near the border with Egypt.
It said troops killed several militants and located rocket launchers while conducting targeted raids in specific areas.
The army said an air strike killed a Hamas commander, Ahmed Hassan Alsauarka, in the Beit Hanoun area in northern Gaza.
It said Mr Alsauarka was a squad commander in the Nukhba Forces who took part in the deadly attack on southern Israel on October 7.
Israeli authorities said on Sunday that the military would observe a "tactical pause" between 8am and 7pm to allow the delivery of aid arriving through the Karam Abu Salem crossing in southern Gaza.
However, nine Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike as they waited for aid lorries at the crossing, Reuters quoted medical sources as saying on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a floating pier on Gaza's coast is expected to resume operations on Thursday, US officials told Reuters.
They said the pier had been reattached to the shore on Wednesday, after being removed last Friday due to poor sea conditions.
Aid deliveries using the US-built pier began on May 17, with the UN saying it allowed about 100 tonnes of supplies to reach warehouses.
Pier operations have been disrupted by rough seas, as well as poor weather and security concerns.
US President Joe Biden announced the plan to build the structure in March as fears grew of famine in Gaza, home to 2.3 million people.
The US military estimated it would cost more than $200 million to operate for the first 90 days and would involve about 1,000 service members. It is unclear how long the pier will be used for aid deliveries.
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
THE%20STRANGERS'%20CASE
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Where to Find Me by Alba Arikha
Alma Books
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press
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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.”
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.
South Africa World Cup squad
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (w), JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Rassie van der Dussen.
The specs
Price: From Dh529,000
Engine: 5-litre V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 520hp
Torque: 625Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.8L/100km
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