Israel's military has destroyed the home of Al Shifa hospital director Mohammed Abu Salmiya, killing his brother.
Dr Abu Salmiya was on duty in the emergency department on Saturday when ambulances brought the bodies of his brother, Majed, and his sister-in-law to Al Shifa hospital, the city's largest medical facility.
The Israeli military, which is intensifying its assault on Gaza city, claimed Majed Abu Salmiya was a Hamas sniper.
“I was shocked and devastated to see the bodies of my brother and his wife,” Dr Abu Salmiya told AFP. “Anything is possible now, as you receive your dearest ones as martyrs or wounded. The occupation's crimes continue, and the number of martyrs keeps rising.”
The Israeli army said in a statement on Sunday that Majed Abu Salmiya operated as a sniper for Hamas and was preparing to carry out an attack against its troops in the city.
“Prior to the strike, steps were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians as much as possible, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence,” the Israeli military said.
Dr Abu Salmiya the rejected the Israeli military's claim as “a lie, slander and an unacceptable justification for targeting civilians with direct missile strikes”.
“My brother is a 57-year-old man who suffers from several illnesses such as high blood pressure and diabetes, and he has severe vision impairment – and they claim he was a sniper? This is pure fabrication,” he said.
AFP footage of the aftermath of the strike showed rescuers trying to reach a boy who survived but was trapped amid twisted steel rods and chunks of concrete.
Rescuers at the scene said seven people were killed in the attack, including Majed Abu Salmiya, his wife, and two of their children. They said 30 people were rescued, while the house was destroyed.
The Israel military has been conducting air raids, firing artillery and detonating remotely controlled vehicles packed with explosives as its troops push into Gaza city.
Hundreds of thousands of the city's estimated one million residents have fled since the offensive to seize control began late last month, but many people remain trapped, too exhausted or impoverished to leave.
The assault further escalates a conflict that has roiled the Middle East and probably pushes any ceasefire further out of reach.
The Israeli military, which says it wants to “destroy the military infrastructure” of Hamas has not given an estimated timeline for its operation, but the indications are that it could take months.
At least 31 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, medical sources told official Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Gaza's hospitals received the bodies of 75 people, including five killed while seeking aid, in the 24 hours to Sunday afternoon, the ministry said.
The Gaza civil defence agency said at least 87 people were killed by Israeli strikes on Saturday, 70 of them in Gaza city. Eleven were killed when warplanes struck a family home in the city's Al Sabra neighbourhood, it said.
Al Shifa hospital confirmed it had received 34 bodies from Gaza city, while the Baptist hospital said it had received 28.
The Israeli army said that two projectiles were launched from the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday, which activated sirens in the areas of Lakhish and Ashdod.
The Israeli air force “intercepted one target, and the second fell in an open area, the army said. No injuries were reported.
The war began after Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, led attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. A total of 48 of the hostages remain in Gaza, and around 20 are thought to be alive.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 65,283 Palestinians and injured 166,575, according to Gaza's health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Meydan race card
6pm Dubai Trophy – Conditions(TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
6.35Dubai Trophy – Conditions(TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
1,800m
7.10pm Jumeirah Derby Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (T)
1,800m ,400m
7.45pm Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
8.20pm Al Fahidi Fort – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,400m
8.55pm Dubawi Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
9.30pm Aliyah – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 2,000m
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
Racecard
5.25pm: Etihad Museum – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,200m
6pm: Al Shindaga Museum – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (Dirt) 1,200m
6.35pm: Poet Al Oqaili – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m
7.10pm: Majlis Ghurfat Al Sheif – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,600m
7.45pm: Hatta – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m
8.20pm: Al Fahidi – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 2,200m
8.55pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m
9.30pm: Coins Museum – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
10.05pm: Al Quoz Creative – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5