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Witnesses have described carnage after an Israeli air strike killed dozens of displaced people sheltering in a Khan Younis school on Tuesday, hitting the facility as children played football outside.
The official Wafa news agency said that the Israeli army “targeted the entrance of Al Awdah School sheltering displaced persons” on Tuesday night, killing at least 29 and injuring many others.
It is the fourth strike of its kind on a school in Gaza in less than a week.
Ismael Abu Anza was playing football with other displaced teenagers inside the school's playground when an Israeli rocket struck people at the school gate.
“Suddenly we started to run and didn't know what to do; it was horrific,” he told The National.
“Most of the martyrs were torn apart. We tried to help evacuate people, but what we experienced can't be described.”
Gaza's government media office condemned the strike as a “horrific massacre” on Tuesday night, adding that 60 people had been killed in a series of large-scale attacks on refugee camps that day.
Atef Abu Dakka, from eastern Khan Younis, was also taking shelter in the school with his family and is in shock from what he witnessed.
“Only normal people were there. No fighters were there. All of them were children, women and elderly people. They were all civilians,” he told The National, describing rockets striking people as they stood by the school gate.
“Where should I go now? No place is safe, they are targeting everything. We are escaping death to another death.”
Israeli forces said they were investigating reports of the strike, but added that their target was struck with a “precision munition” and was adjacent to the school.
“The incident is under review,” said the army.
Tuesday's attack followed another strike on the Al Jaouni school in Nuseirat in the centre of the enclave on Monday, which killed at least 16 people. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said 2,000 people were sheltering there at the time.
A Tuesday strike on the Holy Family school in Gaza city killed four, according to Gaza's civil defence agency. The Latin Patriarchate, owners of the school, said hundreds of people had packed the grounds at the time.
Another UNRWA-run school in Nuseirat was hit on Monday. A local hospital said several people were taken in for treatment.
Israel said it had targeted “several terrorists” using the school for cover. But Hamas has denied Israeli claims that it uses schools, hospitals and other civilian facilities for military aims.
According to UNRWA, more than 500 people have been killed in schools and other shelters it runs in Gaza since the war started on October 7 with the Hamas attack on Israel.
Displaced under fire
At least 38,000 people have been killed in Israel’s war on Gaza since then.
However, the Lancet medical journal reported that it is “not implausible” for the Gaza death toll to have reached 186,000 or more since the Israeli bombardment began, considering direct and indirect causes.
The report, titled Counting the Dead in Gaza: Difficult but Essential, said that using the 2022 Gaza Strip population estimate of 2,375,259, the death toll would be equivalent to 7.9 per cent.
The estimate published on Friday includes direct deaths from the conflict as well as indirect deaths from causes such as reproductive, communicable and non-communicable diseases.
Nine months since the war began, Gazans say Israel's intensified bombing campaigns and new displacement orders are reminding them of the initial days of fighting.
Israeli forces launched a new military operation on the northern Gaza city this week and demanded that more than 75 per cent of its residents flee to the south, forcing a renewed wave of displacement, reminiscent of when fighting began.
The UN humanitarian office reports that thousands of Palestinians in Gaza city have been fleeing in many directions, not knowing which way is safe from Israel's expanding military offensive.
“Many have been displaced under fire and bombardment, with very few being able to take their possessions,” said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Tuesday, citing reports by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
“We were sitting at the entrance of the school … suddenly and without warning, rockets were fired,” a witness, Mohammed Sukkar, told AFP about Tuesday's strike.
OCHA described this latest displacement of people following recent Israeli evacuation orders as “dangerously chaotic,” with people fleeing having to go into or through neighbourhoods where fighting is taking place – or to areas where separate Israeli evacuation orders were later issued, Mr Dujarric said.
“Civilians in Gaza must be protected and have their basic needs met, whether they move or stay,” the UN spokesman said.
“Those who leave must have enough time to do so, as well as a safe route and a safe place to go.”
Mr Dujarric said OCHA warned that hostilities in these areas of Gaza city are preventing aid organisations from accessing warehouses, so they can’t restock, resupply or assess the latest needs.
Gaza ceasefire negotiations resumed this week as mediation efforts to pause the war in the Palestinian enclave gain momentum. Hamas and Israel have started to show some flexibility after months of deadlock.
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
The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410
Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
Red Sparrow
Dir: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Egerton, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons
Three stars
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
No Shame
Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
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.”
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
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