Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Israel and Hamas fought on the streets of Gaza on Tuesday, with the conflict turning into urban warfare after more than three weeks of air strikes hammering the besieged enclave.
Gaza's interior ministry said Israeli forces are in the north-west of the city, while the Israeli military said its ground forces are “deep in the Gaza Strip” and have struck 300 Hamas targets, including their compounds inside underground tunnels.
Palestinian spokesman Iyad Al Bazm said Israeli tanks are currently in the Al Karama area and on the major Salah Al Din Street and are attempting to reach Al Rashid Street, all in the north-west, in a bid to “separate Gaza's north and south”.
Israel has been threatening Hamas with a “ground invasion” since October 7 while expanding its daily bombardment by land and air. On Saturday, it said it was expanding its ground operations with infantry and armoured corps after entering northern Gaza overnight.
Tuesday's street fighting marks the biggest ground escalation since the beginning of the war and comes after a constant bombardment campaign that has claimed the lives of more than 8,500 Palestinians and a tightened siege that has deprived its two million residents of water, fuel, and aid, a move condemned by the United Nations.
Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, said it targeted an Israeli tank penetrating east of the Al-Zaytoun neighbourhood with an Al-Yassin 105 shell, setting it on fire, and an Israeli bulldozer and a military vehicle after they entered a building where their men were based in Beit Hanoun.
The Palestinian faction also claimed a strike against Israel's Nevatim air force base with a missile barrage.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army said its forces have been fighting “deep in the Gaza Strip”.
“In recent hours, combined forces, led by ground forces, have been conducting fierce battles deep in the territory of the Gaza Strip … forces attacked a Hamas terrorist outpost in the north of the Gaza Strip,” the Israeli military said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Israeli army claimed that it attacked Hamas militants inside the vast tunnel network underneath Gaza without clarifying if the soldiers entered any of the tunnels.
In a statement it said that over the past day its combined combat forces “struck approximately 300 targets, including anti-tank missile and rocket launch posts below shafts, as well as military compounds inside underground tunnels belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation”.
Militants responded with anti-tank missiles and machinegun fire, it added.
“The soldiers killed terrorists and directed air forces to real-time strikes on targets and terror infrastructure.”
The vast labyrinth of tunnels built beneath densely populated Gaza and used for smuggling and incursions into Israel by Hamas fighters, is considered the biggest security threat to the Israeli army.
Yocheved Lifshitz, an 85-year-old woman taken hostage by Hamas and released, had described being made to walk for “kilometres” through a “spider’s web of tunnels”.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said its forces had eliminated the commander of the Beit Lahia battalion in Hamas’ Northern Brigade who was responsible for October 7 attacks targeting Kibbutz Erez and Moshav Netiv Ha’Asarah.
“Our offensive operations will continue and intensify according to plan,” he said.
He said an aerial threat that was targeted at Eilat, in southern Israel, on Tuesday morning had been detected.
“There is no threat posed to the area. I repeat, there is no threat in this area, and there is no danger. We have a strong defensive posture in the southern area in all dimensions,” said Admiral Hagari.
Despite mounting global calls for a humanitarian pause, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will not agree to a ceasefire. The UAE mission to the UN on Monday called for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict.
“We need a ceasefire in the Gaza war now,” Lana Nusseibeh, ambassador and permanent representative of the UAE to the UN, told a Security Council meeting.
In Lebanon, where clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah-supported armed groups have been intensifying over recent weeks, the Israeli military spokesperson said its fighter jets had carried out overnight strikes and “destroyed infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organisation”.
The Israeli military “maintains a very high level of readiness, remains on high alert and is deployed both along the border and throughout the northern communities”, Admiral Hagari said.
240 hostages under Hamas custody
Israel has revised the number of hostages being held in Gaza to 240 – up from the previous figure of 230.
Admiral Hagari said the increase was due to further captives being identified. All 240 families have been notified, he added.
“Identification is complex. Some of the hostages are not Israeli citizens, and the process is complex,” he said.
He also said that the families of 315 Israeli soldiers killed in fighting since the Israel-Gaza war began have been notified of their deaths.
Ori Megidish, an Israeli soldier taken hostage by Hamas militants, was rescued during a ground raid in the Gaza Strip on Monday, according to a joint statement from the military and the Shin Bet intelligence service.
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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WTL%20SCHEDULE
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Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
DIVINE%20INTERVENTOIN
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Peninsula'
Stars: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Ra
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Rating: 2/5
SPECS
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Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
SPECS
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PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (All UAE kick-off times)
Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt (11.30pm)
Saturday
Union Berlin v Bayer Leverkusen (6.30pm)
FA Augsburg v SC Freiburg (6.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Werder Bremen (6.30pm)
SC Paderborn v Hertha Berlin (6.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Wolfsburg (6.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Borussia Monchengladbach (9.30pm)
Sunday
Cologne v Bayern Munich (6.30pm)
Mainz v FC Schalke (9pm)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
