Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
A belief that peace will come to Gaza and the war will finally end sustains a tiny group of Christians who remain in the north despite sustained Israeli bombings and a trickle of food supplies. Christmas celebrations will stay focused on Mass, with prayers for the end of the conflict as parishioners remember family and friends who died when Israeli strikes hit church buildings they believed were safe.
All Christmas celebrations were cancelled in Palestine last year after the war began. Muted festivities indoors for children have been planned this year by about 600 Christians who shelter in two churches in Gaza, out of respect for families who have lost everything in the devastating 14-month conflict.
Among them is a father who lost three children, aged between 12 to 14 years, and 12 relatives in an October 19, 2023, Israeli air strike on the centuries-old Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza, where hundreds of Christians and Muslims were sheltering.
"We believed the church to be a safe haven that would not be targeted. I lost three children who used to pray with me and visit religious sites,” said the man, 47, who asked not to be identified. “Our loss is immense.”
The children will not have a party, no Santa Claus, no gifts, only bombs. I tell people pray for life for us
Ibrahim Jahshan,
who shelters with his family in the Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza
He remembers previous “joyous” Christmas celebrations when his family helped to light up the church and visited friends and relatives. “The war has stripped us of all those experiences and left us with wounds and pain that time will never erase," the Gazan father said. "The holidays can never be the same, not this year, nor in any future.”
Gaza resident Ihab Ayad was in the church that day and can never forget the explosions that killed 17 people and injured dozens. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, Pope Francis and the World Council of Churches condemned the attack on a "sacred compound" that had offered sanctuary to 450 people.
“I survived but both Muslims and Christians lost loved ones,” Mr Ayad said. “This war has been catastrophic for all of us in Gaza. Everyone has faced death, bombardment, destruction and loss."
Mr Ayad recalls travelling with family to Bethlehem and visiting the holy sites during the holidays before the war broke out in October 2023. But 14 months into the bombardment and ground invasion by Israel, sparked by a Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, more than 45,300 Gazans are dead and 70 per cent of buildings demolished.
“This year will be limited to prayers and activities for children to provide some relief from the tragedies and harsh scenes they have witnessed during the war,” he said. “I hope by next year the war will be over, peace will prevail and everyone will be able to celebrate religious holidays without fear or terror."
Don’t forget us
The future appears bleak to Christian families who have split themselves between the Greek Orthodox and the Holy Family Catholic church located nearby to increase their chances of surviving Israeli bombing.
Ibrahim Jahshan lives with his wife and children in the Orthodox church while his brother and family have taken shelter in the Catholic church. He lost his mother, 77, due to a lack of medication to treat a stroke this year.
“The world has forgotten Gaza. We are still under attack. The children will not have a party, no Santa Claus, no gifts, only bombs,” he said. “I tell people don’t forget us in your prayers, pray for life for us. Life is very difficult. My children wanted clothes for Christmas but there is no money. How can we buy anything?”
The Christian community comprised 1,017 people before the war, according to registers kept by the Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches, but many fled after church buildings were struck by sniper attacks, bombs and Israeli shelling, killing 40 members. Several more parishioners have died due to a lack of medicine to treat strokes, heart attacks, pneumonia and common infections.
About 200 Christians and Muslims now live in the Greek Orthodox Church, and about 400 Christians shelter in school buildings in the nearby Holy Family church compound.
Only answer is peace
The clergy tried to inject optimism to lift the air of despondency and despair, with small celebrations for children and candlelight readings under a decorated Christmas tree in the days leading up to Christmas on December 25.
“We want this to be a Christmas of hope,” said Father Carlos Ferrero in the Holy Family Church, Gaza’s only Roman Catholic parish. “We will have a solemn Mass, it will be a quiet celebration. We raise our minds and hearts to God as he is our light and the only answer is peace.
“The reality is that people have lost hope but we cannot let hatred and resentment take over. We will continue to speak of the love of God and love of our neighbours.”
Much like the rest of Gaza reeling under food shortages and inhuman living conditions, groups of 20 share a room and mainly survive on canned food in the church compound.
A food and medicine aid package sent by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, intended to arrive in time for Christmas did not make it past Israeli checkpoints. The supplies and medicine are shared by people sheltering in both churches.
“We are surviving on flour, beans and a few tins of corned beef,” Father Ferrero said. “The supply sent by the Patriarchate had medicines, chocolates and sweets to cheer up the children but all we received was toilet paper and flour. It’s very sad not to receive even the medicines.”
Pope's daily calls give hope
In efforts to support the morale of parishioners, the head of the Roman Catholic church, Pope Francis, calls the Holy Family Church daily to pray with and check in on the Christians taking refuge.
“Imagine the Pope calling every day and asking, ‘How are you?’” Father Ferrero said. “Pope Francis calls every evening, except when he is travelling. He asks us to be strong and gives us blessings.”
Parishioners gather around a speaker that broadcasts the Pope’s voice. They greet him, ask for blessings on special occasions and pray with him.
“The Pope tells us to have faith, says the whole church is praying for peace. He is always encouraging us,” Father Ferrero said.
Pope Francis has repeatedly called for a ceasefire, condemning the "cruelty" of the bombings in Gaza. Calling for weapons to be silenced and Christmas carols to resound on all war fronts in Ukraine and the Holy Land in last Sunday's prayer, he said: “And with sorrow I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty; of the children machinegunned, the bombing of schools and hospitals … So much cruelty.”
This came a day after his annual Christmas address to the Holy See on Saturday when he denounced Israeli air strikes the day before that killed at least 25 Palestinians, including seven children from the same family.
“This is not war. This is cruelty,” the Pope said in a report on Vatican News. “I want to say this because it touches my heart.”
Baby Jesus under rubble
In the West Bank, one of the oldest Lutheran churches in Palestine continues to display a powerful Christmas message of a nativity scene with an infant Jesus surrounded by rubble. The scene put together for Christmas last year has not been taken down as it continues to reflect the devastation in Gaza.
A model of baby Jesus swaddled in a keffiyeh, the distinctively patterned Palestinian scarf, lies in a manger to capture the suffering of families in Gaza.
“Our people are still facing genocide in Gaza and so we will focus on prayer as the true meaning of Christmas,” said Rev Munther Isaac, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem. “We are sending a message of hope to our people because we believe resilience and hope go hand in hand.”
In the church built in the 19th century, a plant has been added to the nativity scene as a sign of survival. A small mirror added near the model of Jesus reflects people when they draw close to view the manger.
“The plant shows we still believe life will emerge from the rubble and this will not be our end as a people,” Rev Isaac said. “The mirrors shows our reflection as this is about our responsibility that we were not able to stop the genocide taking place. We want people this Christmas to think of what can they do to help."
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 720hp
Torque: 770Nm
Price: Dh1,100,000
On sale: now
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The%20Hunger%20Games%3A%20The%20Ballad%20of%20Songbirds%20%26%20Snakes
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0Francis%20Lawrence%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3ERachel%20Zegler%2C%20Peter%20Dinklage%2C%20Viola%20Davis%2C%20Tom%20Blyth%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
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.
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Results
6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes (PA) Group 3 Dh175,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Aatebat Al Khalediah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer).
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Dubai Avenue, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: My Catch, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Dubai Creek Mile (TB) Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Golden Goal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
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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
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
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.
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
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
Afro%20salons
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The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
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”
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The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm
Torque: 530Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Price: From Dh299,000 ($81,415)
On sale: Now
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
The specs: 2018 Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic HSE
Price, base / as tested: Dh263,235 / Dh420,000
Engine: 3.0-litre supercharged V6
Power 375hp @ 6,500rpm
Torque: 450Nm @ 3,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.4L / 100kms
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
Command%20Z
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