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Capt Asmaa Saeed Al Ali says flying crucial humanitarian aid into Gaza gave her a sense of honour “to offer a lifeline to embattled Palestinians”.
She is part of the first UAE team that headed to the Egyptian city of Al Arish as part of the Gallant Knight 3 operation in November to support those caught in the conflict.
The National caught up with the Emirati military pilot as pallets filled with medical and food aid were being loaded into the C-130 aircraft at Al Arish ahead of an an air operation.
“I was here from the beginning,” she said, calling it her “national duty”.
Apart from relief aid, Capt Al Ali also flew doctors and teams involved in building the UAE's floating and field hospitals and desalination plants into the Egyptian port city, along with equipment and other items required for the medical facilities.
Flying the C-130 and C-17 aircraft, she was also involved in evacuating injured Palestinians.
Capt Al Ali has also carried out three deliveries by air to areas in Gaza that were not easily accessible by road.
“It is an honour to be able to offer a lifeline to embattled Palestinians caught up in the conflict,” she said, adding how deliveries are crucial to help Gazans who face dire shortages of food and basic necessities.
“I felt honoured when I heard in the news that they were called 'Birds of Goodness'.”
'Each street has a painful story'
Flying above the besieged Gaza Strip, Capt Al Ali said she would often ask her assistant pilot to take control of the C-130 aircraft so she could survey the conditions below.
“I was curious to see what's happening on the ground.”
The images of destruction and devastation evoke a mixed feeling, she said.
“Part of me is happy to see pallets of aid being dropped to help the people, but it is sad to see cities and streets left destroyed due to the conflict.
“You feel each street has a painful story to tell.”
So far, the UAE has carried out dozens of deliveries by air since February, partnering with teams from the Egyptian and Jordanian Air Force to ensure vital aid reaches remote parts of Gaza.
Capt Al Ali believes it's a personal victory for her and her country if the air deliveries “bring a smile on a child's face”.
“Seeing the parachutes from the sky is like seeing the UAE's hands reaching the people inside Gaza.”
The UAE has offered essential financial and humanitarian assistance since the war broke out on October 7, under President Sheikh Mohamed's directives.
Figures released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in June showed the Emirates had provided 33,100 tonnes of urgent supplies to Gaza since November.
The aid was delivered by 320 flights, seven ships and 1,243 lorries up until June 13. That amounts to an additional 1,100 tonnes since May.
Talking about the “values instilled in her from a young age”, she credits the UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, for teaching her to “always look for peace”.
“Our leaders represent peace, and they taught us to help people in need. It is not only a duty or our job, but we are doing what our leaders taught us,” Capt Al Ali added.
She said the “operations to help our brothers in Gaza” will continue.
“I consider myself lucky for having got the opportunity to take on this humanitarian duty,” she said, adding that she's ready to serve anytime and anywhere.
“As an Emirati military pilot, I’m always ready for any duty in any place and at any time.”
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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
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Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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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
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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
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.”
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
