Yesterday’s reports from Palestinian media that at least 30 people in Gaza were killed by Israeli gunfire at an aid distribution point only underlines the dire consequences that confront the enclave’s suffering civilian population in the absence of a ceasefire.
The day before, it appeared that Gaza’s deadly stalemate was set to continue. US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on Saturday that Hamas’s response to a Washington-backed ceasefire plan for Gaza was “totally unacceptable”. In doing so, the stage is set for further conflict in which it has been long apparent there are no winners.
Since Israel resumed military operations on March 18 after the end of a two-month truce brokered by mediators from the US, Egypt and Qatar, the suffering inflicted on the Palestinian territory is almost without compare in modern times. In its response to the Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people on October 7, 2023, the Israeli military has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians and injured more than twice that number. Much of the enclave lies in ruins amid critical shortages of food, medicine and water caused by a months-long Israeli blockade of humanitarian aid.
Such unacceptable death and destruction would ordinarily lead to frantic negotiations to try and bring the bloodshed to a close. And yet, despite month upon month of mediation involving key Middle East countries and the US, the violence continues. In Gaza, Palestinian civilians are literally caught in the crossfire between an Israeli military guided by politicians that have made no secret of wanting to ethnically cleanse the territory of its inhabitants and Hamas, an organisation that recklessly attacked Israel with no defensive strategy or capability that could protect Gaza’s people from collective punishment.
The fact that what is being discussed is essentially a time-limited ceasefire, rather than a settlement, shows how entrenched the war has become. Continuing disputes over the duration of the proposed truce, when and how the remaining Israeli hostages should be released, and the mechanics of getting essential aid into Gaza combine to delay a deal that could save lives and provide an important break in the conflict. This latter point is essential for ending Gaza’s default setting of punishing violence and displacement.
The fact that what is being discussed is essentially a time-limited ceasefire, rather than a settlement, shows how entrenched the war has become
Frustration at this continuing failure to strike a deal is palpable. Late last month, Gaza truce talks in Doha collapsed with sources telling The National that Israel’s three-man delegation appeared to have had no mandate to negotiate and spent more time in their hotel rooms than at the negotiating table or with the mediators from the US, Egypt and Qatar. Compounding such failures to strike a deal is the availability of realistic and practical alternatives to war without end. An Egyptian plan was adopted in March at the Arab Summit in Cairo; this proposed a five-year timetable for reconstruction and governance with Palestinian participation. Politically, the Arab Peace Initiative, a seven-point proposal for a comprehensive political settlement to the conflict, remains on the table, despite being fatefully rejected by Israel.
Events are in flux, and it is to be hoped that a compromise is reached. However, what is clear is that although neither Hamas nor Israel can continue in this vein indefinitely, it is 2.3 million Gazans who cannot wait for this Gordian knot of negotiation tactics and strategies to be untangled.
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
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
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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AWARDS
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Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
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.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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