Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Senior Egyptian negotiators are due in Tel Aviv on Thursday to discuss with Israeli officials new Gaza ceasefire proposals along with suggestions to resolve the dispute between the two nations over Israel's occupation of the Palestinian side of the Egypt-Gaza border and Rafah crossing.
Sources briefed on the visit told The National that the Egyptian delegates from the nation's spy agency will present to intelligence officials in Israel's Mossad a plan to declare a temporary but renewable truce in Gaza.
During the initial ceasefire and as a prelude to a prisoner and hostage swap, Israel and Hamas will share the names of the hostages and Palestinians jailed in Israel on security-related offences who are to be released.
According to the sources, the delegates will also discuss Egyptian proposals for running the Rafah crossing after Israel's military pulls out from the Palestinian side, which it occupied six months ago.
The sources did not share how long the initial truce would be, but said it would be longer than the 48-hour pause previously proposed by the Egyptians and rejected by Hamas. Negotiations to reach a permanent ceasefire would be held while the truce remains in effect, they added.
The proposals include the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the return home of displaced Palestinians, the sources said without giving details.
It is uncertain whether Hamas and Israel will accept the plans, according to the sources, but Cairo feels the need to build on momentum created by the Lebanon ceasefire that went into effect on Wednesday and not wait for a Donald Trump administration to take the reins in Washington in January.
“Moreover, Egypt feels that delaying a ceasefire in Gaza can only worsen an already desperate humanitarian situation there to a level at which the Palestinians will have no choice but to swarm across the border into Egypt in search for both food and safety,” said one of the sources.
“Egypt's decision to present Israel with new proposals have a slim chance of being adopted by either Hamas or Israel but it ramps up the pressure on Israel at a time of growing international concern over the war,” added the source.
Egypt has repeatedly warned against the mass migration of Palestinians to its Sinai Peninsula, arguing this would “liquidate” the Palestinian cause and threaten Egyptian national security.
Besides hunger and malnutrition-related ailments in Gaza, the 13-month-old war in the tiny coastal strip has left more than 44,000 Palestinians dead and more than twice that number injured. Built-up areas of Gaza have been razed and much of its infrastructure devastated.
Egypt, Qatar and the US have for close to a year been trying without success to broker a ceasefire and the release of Israeli and other hostages held by Hamas in exchange for the freedom of Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in Israel.
The war began when fighters from Hamas and allied Gaza groups attacked southern Israel on October 7 last year, killing about 1,200 Israelis and taking hostage about 250 others. The attack drew a relentless Israeli response and spilt over into Lebanon, where Hezbollah and Israel exchanged cross-border fire for nearly a year before Israel invaded southern Lebanon and dramatically stepped up air strikes across much of the country.
The Egyptian delegates travelling to Israel on Thursday will also propose that a Palestinian agency approved by the occupied West Bank-based Palestinian Authority takes over running the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, alongside a UN force that ensures security and smooth passage of relief aid into Gaza, said the sources. Hamas would not be represented in the agency, they added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated his opposition to any role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza and declared the eradication of Hamas as a main war goal. The sources said Israel has moreover demanded that it retains the right to screen Palestinians crossing into Egypt, including the wounded, under whatever regime runs the Rafah crossing.
Israel last May captured the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing – Gaza's only window on the outside world that is not controlled by Israel – along with the strip of land that runs the entire length of the Gaza-Egypt border known as the Philadelphi Corridor.
Egypt was angered and in response closed its side of the crossing, arguing the Israeli move violated provisions of a 1979 peace treaty between the two countries and subsequent accords.
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
MATCH INFO
Asian Champions League, last 16, first leg:
Al Ain 2 Al Duhail 4
Second leg:
Tuesday, Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha. Kick off 7.30pm
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 1 (Martinez 18' pen)
Juventus 2 (Dybala 4', Higuain 80')
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Barcelona 3
Messi (27’, 32’, 87’)
Leganes 1
El Zhar (68’)
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
List of alleged parties
May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff
May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'
Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff
Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party
Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters
Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
