Conflicting accounts have emerged over what started Sunday’s military escalation in Gaza, the most dangerous breach of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas so far.
At least 40 Palestinians were killed in Israel attacks on Gaza following a disputed incident in which two Israeli soldiers were killed.
Israel blamed Hamas for the attack and threatened a heavy response, with some politicians calling for a resumption of the war. The group denied any knowledge and responsibility for “incidents or clashes” in Rafah, accusing Israel of “deliberately [violating] the agreement since the very first day of the ceasefire’s entry into force”.
Further fighting appeared to be have been averted as anticipation grew before the arrival in Israel of US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner. The men are Washington's senior negotiators, overseeing the Gaza ceasefire plan. US Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to arrive in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Israel's airport authority announced.
Israel’s account was that Hamas operatives emerged from a tunnel and fire rocket-propelled grenades at an army earthmover, killing two Israeli soldiers, all within territory that Israel occupies under the ceasefire deal. The military also said that its troops were injured by sniper fire in the same area.
Mr Trump presented a more nuanced suggestion of what caused the death of Israeli troops. “We think maybe the [Hamas] leadership isn't involved in that, that it's some rebels within,” he said. “It's going to be handled toughly, but properly.
“As you know, they’ve been quite rambunctious. They’ve been doing some shooting, and we think maybe the leadership isn’t involved in that,” Mr Trump added.
"The Administration remains focused on implementing the peace agreement and we are working vigorously with our partners to do so. We’re not going to detail ongoing private diplomatic conversations," a US official told The National.
Hamas said in a statement on Monday that “communication has been completely cut off with the remaining units of ours” in Rafah since March.
Unexploded IED?
Another account, based on reported testimony from anonymous US officials, was that the initial incident in Rafah was caused by an Israeli vehicle hitting unexploded ordnance.
US journalist Ryan Grim said a White House source acknowledged that a bulldozer hit the munition and that the Trump administration “conveyed to Israel that they know what happened”, in a post on X.
Curt Mills, executive director of The American Conservative magazine, said in a post on X that a senior administration official explained that “Hamas did nothing. Israeli tank hit an unexploded IED that has probably been there for months.”
The Israeli military said it also opened fire on “Palestinian terror operatives” in eastern Gaza city on Monday morning, followed by a second group. In both instances it said the operatives crossed its “yellow line”, the part of the Gaza Strip that Israel holds under the current stage of the deal.
Two people were shot dead by Israeli forces in the Tuffah neighbourhood, east of Gaza city, medical sources told the official news agency Wafa.
Adla Massoud contributed to this report from New York
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Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
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SUZUME
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'Downton Abbey: A New Era'
Director: Simon Curtis
Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan
Rating: 4/5
The%20specs
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