More than a third of all homes in Gaza have been razed to the ground by the campaign of Israeli air strikes that began after the horrific attacks by Hamas operatives on October 7 claimed hundreds of Israeli lives. More than half of Gaza’s population has already been displaced, at least 6,500 people have been killed. The statistics of destruction stretch far into the distance – with worse expected to come.
Aid agencies have become increasingly urgent in their messaging, with ever more stark warnings about what the future holds for Gaza, particularly as movements of emergency supplies and fuel remain fickle and slight. Current rates of delivery are far, far below what is needed.
The humanitarian situation is declining at an alarming and visible rate. The UN Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, said earlier this week that “without fuel, there will be no water, no functioning hospitals and bakeries. Without fuel, there will be no humanitarian assistance. No fuel will further strangle the people of Gaza”. Even for those who are far removed from the conflict, or who are still burning with anger over the circumstances that gave rise to this round of violence, it is impossible to miss the desperation of those words.
Gaza’s health ministry announced in midweek that more than 40 medical facilities within the enclave were out of service. Those hospitals that still have the ability to function are overrun with people who need urgent medical attention. “The wounded are everywhere,” one doctor in Gaza told The National this week, “they are on the floor, on the stairs and in the garden.”
Aid agencies have become increasingly urgent in their messaging, with ever more stark warnings about what the future holds for Gaza
Meanwhile, at the end of last week, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant offered insight into what the next few days might hold, with more than 200 Israeli hostages remaining in the enclave. He said there would be further aerial bombardment and tactical intervention on the ground to destroy Hamas networks, followed by eventual withdrawal from the territory.
Those words cast the operation as a near surgical anti-terror operation, when the reality is that many thousands of civilians are displaced and trapped in the enclave and human suffering is increasing by the day. On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country was preparing the way for a ground invasion. A limited number of Israeli tanks entered Gaza on Thursday.
Against this backdrop, the UN Security Council has made so-far futile attempts to draft resolutions calling for “humanitarian pauses, corridors and other initiatives”. The European Council has echoed these calls.
That is what might happen, but what should happen?
First, the so-called humanitarian pause needs to be delivered, then strengthened and widened. It is almost inconceivable that even this thin commitment to temporary cessation of hostilities and the delivery of emergency aid is proving so difficult to get over the line. Meaningful de-escalation is a minimum expectation for ordinary Gazans being collectively punished by daily strikes that kill civilians, degrade physical infrastructure and destroy material hope.
The perils of continued escalation and the broader consequences were outlined by former US president Barack Obama on Monday.
He said that the Israeli government’s decisions make for a “growing humanitarian crisis [and] could further harden Palestinian attitudes for generations, erode global support for Israel, play into the hands of Israel’s enemies and undermine long-term efforts to achieve peace”.
Second, the release of all the Israeli hostages inside Gaza needs to be secured. Two hostages were released late on Monday evening on “compelling humanitarian” grounds, after multilateral mediation.
That is a start, but all should be aware that each human being who remains in captivity is a reminder of the terror campaign undertaken by Hamas three weeks ago and will be seen as total justification for the continuation of a broader military campaign. While hostage and prisoner exchanges have in the past been used to extract vast political capital, the price and consequences of continued detainment are too great this time.
Third, the side product of Hamas’s actions and the subsequent air campaign by the Israeli military have exposed the folly of existing policy on Gaza, which amounted to containment and control of movement.
The vast majority of the global population are too young to know anything but Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank. Most Gazans have known nothing but the blockade and repetitive cycles of violence. Mr Gallant’s words appear to imagine another version of “more of the same” for Gaza’s future, even though it is almost impossible to believe that could now be the case.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres this week described these circumstances as “56 years of suffocating occupation” in which land has been “steadily devoured by settlements and plagued by violence”, comments that drew an angry rebuke from Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and, in turn, a fierce rebuttal from the UN chief.
Socio-economic indicators for Gaza were rated as “terrible and alarming” well before this conflict began. Unemployment hovered at 45 per cent in Gaza last year. The enclave is now staring deeper into the abyss.
The only cures for the cancer of conflict are dignity, truth and reconciliation – all of which are in short supply. The past few weeks have, instead, been studded with anger, misinformation and deep division.
At a grassroots level there are tiny rays of hope.
Thousands of people gave up their time and their weekends to participate in Compassion for Gaza aid drives across the emirates. Similar initiatives are evident elsewhere in the world. People and communities want solutions, peace and justice, rather than conflict and injustice.
More broadly, however, a short humanitarian pause in Gaza needs to give way to a prolonged era of humanity.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Profile of VoucherSkout
Date of launch: November 2016
Founder: David Tobias
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers
Sector: Technology
Size: 18 employees
Stage: Embarking on a Series A round to raise $5 million in the first quarter of 2019 with a 20 per cent stake
Investors: Seed round was self-funded with “millions of dollars”
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.”
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Omania, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m
Winner: Brehaan, Richard Mullen, Ana Mendez
6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m
Winner: Craving, Connor Beasley, Simon Crisford
6.30pm: The President’s Cup Prep (PA) Dh100,000 2,200m
Winner: Rmmas, Tadhg O’Shea, Jean de Roualle
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m
Winner: Dahess D’Arabie, Connor Beasley, Helal Al Alawi
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Fertile De Croate, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
if you go
The flights
Emirates fly direct from Dubai to Houston, Texas, where United have direct flights to Managua. Alternatively, from October, Iberia will offer connections from Madrid, which can be reached by both Etihad from Abu Dhabi and Emirates from Dubai.
The trip
Geodyssey’s (Geodyssey.co.uk) 15-night Nicaragua Odyssey visits the colonial cities of Leon and Granada, lively country villages, the lake island of Ometepe and a stunning array of landscapes, with wildlife, history, creative crafts and more. From Dh18,500 per person, based on two sharing, including transfers and tours but excluding international flights. For more information, visit visitnicaragua.us.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
