Egypt opens Rafah border to receive Gaza's wounded

Egyptian authorities announced on Friday that the Rafah border crossing, the sole crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, will be opened to receive those wounded in the escalating violence between Palestine and Israel that has left many dead and hundreds wounded.

Hospitals in North Sinai have also been given express orders from Egypt’s Ministry of Health to prepare to receive the wounded.

Israel on Monday closed its goods and people crossings with Gaza until further notice. The UN says this has included a ban on humanitarian aid and fuel entering the Palestinian territory.

The announcement came amid escalating violence between Israeli forces and Hamas in which at least seven Israelis and 129 Palestinians were killed.

Tension between the two sides rose in Jerusalem during Ramadan as Palestinians, angered by severe restrictions imposed on them during the holy month, held protests which were met with more austerity from Israeli security forces.

Videos of worshippers being attacked while praying inside Al Aqsa Mosque in the Haram Al Sharif, one of the holiest sites for the world's 1.8 billion Muslims, angered the world, with many decrying Israeli violence.

At the same time, Palestinian residents in the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem, which Israel occupies, were being threatened with eviction by Jewish settlers, causing tension to escalate even further.

On Monday, Hamas issued an ultimatum to Israel to remove its forces from the Al Aqsa compound and to stop the evictions in Sheikh Jarrah. The group then fired rockets from Gaza, sparking retaliatory shelling from Israel.

Israel’s leadership has continually rebuffed criticism of its actions, arguing vehemently that it is only acting to defend its people and territories from Hamas violence.

Palestinian leaders argue that under the 1949 Armistice Agreement, Israel’s presence in East Jerusalem is a breach of international law.

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Retail gloom

Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.

It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.

The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.

Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners

Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)