President Donald Trump on Friday said he expects a ceasefire in the war in Gaza to be reached within a week.
Speaking from the Oval Office during the signing of a peace accord between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, Mr Trump said he had earlier been speaking with people involved in reaching a truce in the 20-month-old Israel-Gaza war.
“We think within the next week, we're going to get a ceasefire,” he said.
He added that the US was supplying money and food to the war-ravaged coastal enclave.
“We're involved because people are dying and I look at those crowds of people that have no food, no anything, and we're the ones that are getting it there,” he said.
Mr Trump's comments follow months of stalled efforts to bring an end to the war in Gaza that ignited on October 7, 2023, after Iran-backed Hamas led attacks on Israeli communities, killing about 1,400 people and abducting around 240.
It also comes days after the Trump administration conducted strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites.
At least 54,084 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's strikes and ground offensive since the start of the war, and much of the enclave has been reduced to rubble.
A brief ceasefire that was reached in January – a day before Mr Trump took office – collapsed in March.
Israel moved to block the entry of food aid and assistance, compounding the suffering of the approximately two million Gaza residents who are facing dire shortages.
The Trump administration advanced the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private aid group, to address the concerns over famine in the enclave.
But the group has drawn intense scrutiny after scenes of chaos and bloodshed at aid distribution sites.
Since late May, nearly 550 people have been killed near four GHF aid centres while seeking food, according to local health authorities.
The GHF, backed by Israel and the US, has denied that deadly incidents have occurred in the immediate vicinity of its aid points. They say they've handed out more than 46 million meals.
The UN and other aid groups have refused to work with the GHF, calling its distribution system a “death trap”.
“The new aid distribution system has become a killing field,” said Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNWRA, the UN agency for Palestinian affairs.
“This abomination must end through a return to humanitarian deliveries from the UN including UNRWA,” he wrote on X.
The US State Department on Thursday said that it is providing $30 million in direct funding to the group.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Thursday published a report quoting unnamed soldiers saying they were ordered to deliberately fire live bullets at crowds near distribution centres to disperse them, even when they posed no threat.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
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
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
