Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Israel pressed ahead with another offensive in southern Gaza on Sunday amid international outrage over its bombing of a school on Saturday that killed scores of displaced Gazans who were sheltering there.
The Israeli military ordered thousands of people living in neighbourhoods of Khan Younis to leave early on Sunday, including areas that are part of the humanitarian zone it designated as a safe area for people affected by previous evacuation orders.
Two Palestinians were killed and several wounded in a strike on Sunday afternoon, while five others were wounded in morning strikes, the Palestinian state news agency Wafa reported.
The evacuation orders issued by military spokesman Avichay Adraee said the areas being targeted had been used for launching rockets at Israel.
The latest offensive highlights the difficulty Israel has faced in keeping previously held areas free of enemy forces 10 months into its war against Hamas and allied Palestinian militant groups in Gaza.
Most of Gaza's population has been displaced at least once since Israel launched its military offensive in response to the Hamas attacks on southern Israel on October 7. The army has issued repeated evacuation orders for different parts of the enclave since then, often giving only several minutes' warning before opening fire in recent months.
More than 75,000 Gazans have been displaced in south-west Gaza alone in recent days, Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said in a post on X on Sunday.
However, schools where many displaced civilians seek shelter have increasingly come under attack in recent weeks, with Israel accusing militants of using them as bases. In one of the deadliest attacks of the war, more than 100 people were killed and dozens more injured in an Israeli air strike on Al Tabaeen school in Gaza city on Saturday, Gaza authorities said.
Israel’s military said it hit a Hamas command centre in a mosque in its compound and disputed the death toll, saying it killed 19 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters “using three precise munitions, which, according to professional analysis, cannot cause the amount of damage that is being reported by the Hamas-run Government Information Office in Gaza”.
The strike drew widespread international condemnation, with Algeria calling for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday to discuss it.
The attack came days ahead of a proposed resumption of negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, with pressure mounting on Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement.
Egypt accused Israel of deliberately hindering the ceasefire effort, saying “the continued commission of these large-scale crimes, and the deliberate killing of these huge numbers of unarmed civilians, whenever the efforts of mediators intensified to try to reach a formula for a ceasefire in the strip, is conclusive evidence of the absence of political will on the part of the Israeli side to end this fierce war”.
The UAE “denounced in the strongest terms” Israel's attack on the school and reaffirmed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to prevent further loss of life, Afra Al Hameli, director of strategic communications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on X.
Jordan condemned what it said was Israel's “flagrant violation of the rules of international law and an insistence on the systematic targeting of civilians and centres for sheltering displaced persons”.
Saturday's attack, amid a diplomatic push to renew talks for a ceasefire, is an indication of the Israeli government's endeavours to “obstruct and thwart these efforts”, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said.
Qatar, which has been acting as mediator between Israel and Hamas along with Egypt and the US, said it was renewing its call for independent UN investigators to look into Israel's “repeated targeting of schools and displacement shelters”.
Turkey also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of wanting “to sabotage ceasefire negotiations”.
EU foreign affairs minister Josep Borrell said he was “horrified” by the images emerging from the aftermath of the Israeli attack.
“At least 10 schools were targeted in the last weeks. There's no justification for these massacres”, he wrote on X.
US Vice President Kamala Harris condemned the deaths at the school, saying that “far too many” civilians have been killed in the war, although she added that Israel has a right to “go after Hamas”.
“We need a hostage deal, and we need a ceasefire. The deal needs to get done, and it needs to get done now,” she added.
The months-long peace effort is set to resume on August 15, most probably in the Qatari capital Doha, although there is little hope of a breakthrough, sources close to the negotiations told The National.
The renewed push for a ceasefire, which received widespread support in the region and from the US and European Union, came after the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week and the appointment of Yahya Sinwar, the group's leader in Gaza, as his successor.
Iran and Hamas have blamed Israel for the assassination and vowed to retaliate, raising fears of a regional war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is eliminated, faces pressure to reach a deal to free the 115 hostages still held by Hamas after being seized on October 7. Protesters took to the streets on Saturday evening calling on the government to come to an agreement.
However, hardline politicians, many of whom have powerful positions in the government, criticised the calls, saying instead that Israel must pursue a full-throttled campaign in the strip.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Sunday that a deal would be a surrender to Hamas. He also called for cutting off humanitarian aid to the strip.
The anger on both sides highlighted once again how the plight of the hostages has polarised sections of Israeli society, even as the country braces for an attack from its regional enemies and stands on the brink of a regional war.
2020 Oscars winners: in numbers
- Parasite – 4
- 1917– 3
- Ford v Ferrari – 2
- Joker – 2
- Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood – 2
- American Factory – 1
- Bombshell – 1
- Hair Love – 1
- Jojo Rabbit – 1
- Judy – 1
- Little Women – 1
- Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) – 1
- Marriage Story – 1
- Rocketman – 1
- The Neighbors' Window – 1
- Toy Story 4 – 1
Fresh faces in UAE side
Khalifa Mubarak (24) An accomplished centre-back, the Al Nasr defender’s progress has been hampered in the past by injury. With not many options in central defence, he would bolster what can be a problem area.
Ali Salmeen (22) Has been superb at the heart of Al Wasl’s midfield these past two seasons, with the Dubai club flourishing under manager Rodolfo Arrubarrena. Would add workrate and composure to the centre of the park.
Mohammed Jamal (23) Enjoyed a stellar 2016/17 Arabian Gulf League campaign, proving integral to Al Jazira as the capital club sealed the championship for only a second time. A tenacious and disciplined central midfielder.
Khalfan Mubarak (22) One of the most exciting players in the UAE, the Al Jazira playmaker has been likened in style to Omar Abdulrahman. Has minimal international experience already, but there should be much more to come.
Jassim Yaqoub (20) Another incredibly exciting prospect, the Al Nasr winger is becoming a regular contributor at club level. Pacey, direct and with an eye for goal, he would provide the team’s attack an extra dimension.
Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War by Thomas J. Brennan and Finbarr O’Reilly
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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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The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
