Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
At least 40 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike on northern Gaza, official Palestinian media reported late on Saturday, with many women and children missing following the attack.
The strike hit a building hosting displaced families in the Tal Al Zaatar area, the Wafa news agency reported, describing the latest attack as a “bloodbath”.
Many people are still missing under the rubble, it added, with rescue efforts hampered by a lack of ambulances and civil defence crews following a lengthy Israeli siege on the north.
The attack was just one of several that killed at least 100 people across the enclave on Saturday. Among the dead were four aid workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK) and Save the Children, who were killed in an air strike on the southern city of Khan Younis.
About 44,400 Palestinians have been killed across Gaza since the war broke out in October last year, with at least another 105,142 wounded and thousands more missing, presumed to be still under rubble.
While a ceasefire has now started between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, there has been no pause to the war in Gaza since a temporary truce in November last year, which led to a brief hostage and prisoner exchange.
A senior Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Saturday to discuss proposals for a ceasefire following talks earlier this week in Tel Aviv between Egyptian and Israeli negotiators, sources told The National on Saturday. About 101 hostages remain held in Gaza, with 35 of them declared dead by Israeli authorities.
On Saturday, Hamas released a video of an American-Israeli hostage calling on US president-elect Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza.
“Please do not make the mistake [President Joe] Biden has been doing. The weapons he has sent are now killing us, and the unlawful sieges are now starving us,” said Edan Alexander.
The video's release came as large crowds of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv to demand a ceasefire and hostage release deal, with former hostages speaking at a rally marking a year since the week-long truce.
“Make a deal, Bibi,” said Thomas Hand, the father of Emily Hand, 9, who was released as part of the truce. “You've had enough time to get the job done.”
About 71 per cent of Israelis support a deal to end the war in Gaza, according to a Channel 12 poll also released on Saturday. It came as former Israel's defence minister Moshe Yaalon accused the army of ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
“What is happening there? There is no more Beit Lahia, no more Beit Hanoun, the army intervenes in Jabalia and in reality, the land is being cleared of Arabs,” he told the DemocratTV channel.
Mr Yaalon, 74, was the head of the Israeli army between 2002 and 2005, before Israel's unilateral withdrawal from Gaza. He served as defence minister and deputy prime minister before resigning in 2016 after disagreements with Mr Netanyahu.
On Sunday, at least another 17 people were killed in air strikes across Gaza, hours before the UN announced that aid deliveries through a vital crossing with Israel would be paused.
UNRWA commissioner general Philippe Lazzarini said the Karam Abu Salem crossing “has not been safe for months” after a series of heists by armed gangs targeted aid lorries, most notably on November 16 when more than 100 vehicles were looted.
Mr Lazzarini made the announcement after another failed attempt on Saturday to bring food through the route, accusing Israel of deliberately exacerbating the problem. He blamed a “breakdown in law and order” on “the ongoing siege; hurdles from Israeli authorities; political decisions to restrict the amounts of aid; lack of safety on aid routes and targeting of local police”.
“The responsibility of protection of aid workers [and] supplies is with the state of Israel as the occupying power,” he added.
BOSH!'s pantry essentials
Nutritional yeast
This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.
Seeds
"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."
Umami flavours
"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".
Onions and garlic
"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."
Your grain of choice
Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."
Honeymoonish
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Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic
John Zubrzycki, Hurst Publishers
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
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Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
