Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
The Israeli strikes on Gaza began just as Hassan Al Hwaity had started to advertise his winter stock.
Al Hwaity Kids Home, the multistorey clothes shop owned by his family in the affluent Al Remal district of Gaza city, was filled with new boots, shirts, and girls’ party dresses. The last post on the shop’s Facebook page, from October 6, shows children’s coats printed with teddy bears and a tiny pair of scarlet red trainers.
“Among tomorrow’s offers – 25 shekels, sizes 1-6 years!” it said.
Mr Al Hwaity was proud of his shop, and diligent – spending 12 hours a day there. It was one of five owned by his family in Gaza city's shopping area.
“We loved our work,” he told The National. “I would go at 10 o’clock in the morning and leave at 10 o’clock at night."
Mr Al Hwaity and his brother Hamed were rooted in Gaza. But they also saw beyond its closed borders. They used profits from their shops to buy property in Turkey, where they obtained citizenship through an investment scheme.
Now he, his wife, and his four children, aged between 4 and 11, live in a hotel in Istanbul’s Fatih district, alongside Hamed and his six children.
They are among more than 1,000 people with Turkish citizenship and their relatives who have been evacuated from Gaza to Istanbul over the past month.
Now physically safe, they can speak first-hand about the conditions repeatedly described in humanitarian briefings over the past two and a half months: hunger, overcrowding, sickness, fear and death.
The UN and affiliated platforms have in recent days said that Gaza’s whole population is at risk of famine with “catastrophic levels of food insecurity”, as well as widespread diarrhoea and scabies.
The Palestinian enclave's Health Ministry said the death toll has exceeded 20,000 people.
The Al Hwaitys did not want to leave Gaza city, but after 45 days of war, they headed south on foot. Their shops were damaged, burnt and looted, and they lost all the winter stock that they had just imported from China.
“Nothing is left,” Mr Al Hwaity said.
In the southern city of Rafah, the brothers and their families tried to take shelter at school run by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, that was being used to house displaced people, but were told there was no room, Mr Al Hwaity said.
Instead, they divided their time between the street and a cousin’s flat. But it was also overcrowded and did not have enough beds or blankets, so the Al Hwaitys slept on the tiled floor. The children soon got sick, with rashes on their skin and lice in their hair. They shared a litre of drinking water between 15 people per day.
“You couldn’t help yourself, you yourself you wanted water to drink,” Mr Al Hwaity said. “If you cannot help yourself, how can you help your children?”
For the Palestinian-Turkish citizens now living in Istanbul, fleeing Gaza meant leaving behind all sorts of treasured possessions.
For Ahmed Al Dalou, that meant his chickens. The brood of 20 lived at his house in Khan Younis, and during previous wars the 39-year-old civil engineer had driven from his home in Gaza city to feed them.
“This man is crazy,” his wife Zekiye, 45, said with a laugh. A Turk, she moved to Gaza in 2012 to be with her husband.
Even though food supplies had run low – Mrs Al Dalou described surviving on bread and lentils and breaking branches from nearby trees for fuel – her husband could not kill his fowl.
“Even though we could not find chicken for the whole war, we could not eat them,” said Mr Al Dalou, an employee of the Gaza Reconstruction Committee, part of the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The couple's two sons, Jamal, 7, and Youssef, 9, became increasingly terrified of living under bombardment. When the family got a chance to leave for Turkey, they took it.
As Israel’s military assault pushed south, relatives who had been sheltering in Ahmed's Khan Younis house had to flee to Rafah. Food for the chickens ran out. “Our neighbours couldn’t look after them, so they killed them and ate them,” said Mr Al Dalou.
“May they rest in peace,” his wife added.
Evacuations from Gaza to Istanbul started on November 19, according to an official from Turkey’s disaster management organisation, Afad.
About 800 people are being accommodated in hotels at the Turkish government’s expense. A second Turkish official said 100 Turks who applied to Ankara for evacuation remain in Gaza. Every departing individual must receive approval from Israeli authorities and pass through Egyptian border control. Other nations including the US, the UK and France have also evacuated their citizens from Gaza.
Those able to leave feel torn. Many had had previous opportunities to live outside the besieged strip, but remained to be close to family, close to the sea, and close to home. Leaving meant saying goodbye to family members not eligible for evacuation.
“When our name came on the [evacuation] list, we gathered all our relatives in Rafah and bid them goodbye, as if it was the last goodbye, as if we will never see each other again,” Hassan said.
Ahmed left 27 relatives behind, including his father and four siblings. He is now trying to find a way to get them out too, so far without success.
Being able to leave comes with an emotional burden for Mamdouh Al Burnu, 59, who arrived in Istanbul with one of his sons and his 78-year-old mother Hosniya on November 19. He feels uneasy with his good fortune.
“This luck is not a good thing,” said Mr Al Burnu, a media producer. “My close family is with me now, but every day I am looking for news about what has happened to my friends and colleagues. Although I am in Istanbul, my thoughts are in Gaza.”
Although she is from Turkey, Mrs Al Dalou said she had become attached to Gaza. As an environmental engineer, she is concerned about the long-term effects of the conflict and said international organisations should factor this in when planning for Gaza’s postwar future.
“I am worried about the land,” she said.
Mr Al Hwaity would like to go back to Gaza. But part of him knows that there is little left to return to.
Nearly 20 per cent of all structures in Gaza have been damaged, including 10,000 that have been completely destroyed, according to a UN analysis of the damage inflicted by November 23.
“For now, there are no schools, no hospitals, no clean food or water, no streets,” he said. “If we went back, where would we live?”
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
Record: 59-6-2 (38 KOs)
Age: 38
Weight: 146lbs
Height: 166cm
Reach: 170cm
Jeff Horn
Record: 16-0-1 (11 KOs)
Age: 29
Weight: 146.2lbs
Height: 175cm
Reach: 173cm
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
SQUADS
South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed
Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom
The specs: 2018 Jaguar E-Pace First Edition
Price, base / as tested: Dh186,480 / Dh252,735
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 246hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 365Nm @ 1,200rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
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The specs: 2018 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
Price, base / as tested Dh97,600
Engine 1,745cc Milwaukee-Eight v-twin engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 78hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque 145Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.0L / 100km (estimate)
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.
The bio:
Favourite film:
Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Heidi: The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Favourite holiday destination:
Declan: Las Vegas but I also love getting home to Ireland and seeing everyone back home.
Heidi: Australia but my dream destination would be to go to Cuba.
Favourite pastime:
Declan: I love brunching and socializing. Just basically having the craic.
Heidi: Paddleboarding and swimming.
Personal motto:
Declan: Take chances.
Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Tottenham's 10 biggest transfers (according to transfermarkt.com):
1). Moussa Sissokho - Newcastle United - £30 million (Dh143m): Flop
2). Roberto Soldado - Valencia - £25m: Flop
3). Erik Lamela - Roma - £25m: Jury still out
4). Son Heung-min - Bayer Leverkusen - £25m: Success
5). Darren Bent - Charlton Athletic - £21m: Flop
6). Vincent Janssen - AZ Alkmaar - £18m: Flop
7). David Bentley - Blackburn Rovers - £18m: Flop
8). Luka Modric - Dynamo Zagreb - £17m: Success
9). Paulinho - Corinthians - £16m: Flop
10). Mousa Dembele - Fulham - £16m: Success
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang
Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)
Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)
Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera
Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
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Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Results:
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah (PA) | Group 2 | US$55,000 (Dirt) | 1,600 metres
Winner: AF Al Sajanjle, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
7.05pm: Meydan Sprint (TB) | Group 2 | $250,000 (Turf) | 1,000m
Winner: Blue Point, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Firebreak Stakes | Group 3 | $200,000 (D) | 1,600m
Winner: Muntazah, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson
8.15pm: Meydan Trophy Conditions (TB) | $100,000 (T) | 1,900m
Winner: Art Du Val, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.50pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) | $250,000 (T) | 1,800m
Winner: Poetic Charm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (D) | 1,200m
Winner: Lava Spin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,410m
Winner: Mountain Hunter, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor
