Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
The European Union is against civilians being pushed out of Gaza, a senior EU official told The National on Tuesday, as the battle inside the enclave intensifies.
After telling Gazans to move south, Israel has been asking western leaders to lobby Egypt to accept Palestinian refugees, according to media reports.
The idea has been rejected by Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El Sisi and European officials. “The EU opposes pushing anyone out of Gaza, if anyone had that idea,” said Sven Koopmans, the EU's special representative for the Middle East peace process.
“I do not believe that [this] is the current declared policy of the Israeli government,” added Mr Koopmans. “It is very clear that Egypt would not accept [it].”
More than half of Gaza's population of two million people were displaced by Israel's retaliatory attacks, launched after an unprecedented Hamas incursion in its territory killed more than 1,400 people, according to Israeli authorities.
Palestinian authorities have said that the counter-strikes on Gaza have killed more than 8,500 people.
So far, people are not allowed out of Gaza as the Rafah crossing with Egypt remains closed. As of Monday, only 117 aid lorries carrying humanitarian aid had been allowed to cross into the enclave since October 21. Before the conflict, an average of about 450 lorries were arriving daily in Gaza.
Food, medicine, and fuel are running low and aid officials warn of a public health crisis and of infant deaths due to dehydration. People have started raiding UN warehouses in search of food.
A call for humanitarian pauses issued last Thursday in a joint statement by the EU's 27 heads of state has so far had little impact on Israel's military operation in Gaza which aims at eradicating Hamas. It has further intensified with reports of street fighting in the enclave.
Speaking from his Brussels office, Mr Koopmans reiterated the need for such pauses, saying they were “important for survival”.
“Israel needs to reopen the water supply, the electricity, the fuel, medicine and fuel supply,” he said.
“The people of Gaza have the right to live in Gaza in peace and security.
“At the same time, Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorism … but that needs to happen with full respect [for] international humanitarian law and that also means protecting civilians,” he added.
“You cannot just ask people to leave half of their available land at extremely short notice and without actual ability to follow up.”
EU officials are pushing these messages in their public and private statements with Palestinian leaders as well as with representatives from Israel, Arab countries and the US, said Mr Koopmans.
“Just an hour or two ago, the Qatari ambassador sat here,” he said, gesturing at a chair in front of him.
“Qatar plays an important role in the hostage negotiation process, and I thanked him for it and offered our support where we can, to move that forward.”
On October 7 Hamas, listed as a terror organisation by the EU, took more than 220 hostages who are believed to be being held in its tunnel complex in Gaza.
On Monday, the Israeli army said it had freed a hostage soldier for the first time. In parallel, Hamas published a video of female captives criticising Israel's response to the militant group's attacks.
Lack of hope
Mr Koopmans, a former Dutch politician and lawyer who has been the special representative since 2021, also recognised that imposing the EU's viewpoint in the region is a difficult exercise.
“We cannot guarantee success, let's be honest,” he said. “We are not in control of the place.”
He stressed that it has become more urgent than ever to find a solution to the decades-long Israel-Palestine conflict.
“This is a crisis of today but also the crisis that we need to resolve tomorrow,” said Mr Koopmans, who acknowledged the “hopelessness” of the people in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem, as well as the “lack of hope among many Israelis for a peaceful resolution to this conflict”.
But how can the EU help bring hope to the region? “That's a terrible dilemma that we have to all work on right now,” answered Mr Koopmans. “I don't want to claim that I have the right answers. The situation is atrocious.”
The EU still hopes for a two-state solution despite many analysts saying that it is growing more difficult by the day to implement. The number of illegal settlers continues to soar and has reached 700,000 people in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
“In the end, there needs to be an independent Palestinian state living next to a safe and secure Israel,” said Mr Koopmans. “And that Palestinian state also needs to be safe and secure.”
The recent war in Gaza has also fuelled settler violence which was condemned on Sunday by France as “unacceptable”.
The EU did not issue a fresh condemnation but Mr Koopmans said that the bloc has long criticised attacks against Palestinians in occupied territories.
“Terrorism for us is terrorism, regardless of the identity of the victim or the perpetrator,” he said.
Before the latest war, the EU had been hoping to reinvigorate the peace process with the launch of a so-called “peace day” in September in New York in collaboration with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the League of Arab States.
The aim was to set up a list of incentives for both parties including security assurances, should they one day agree to make peace – a package described by Mr Koopmans as “100 per cent carrots”.
But the Israel-Gaza war has forced the EU to delay by at least one month working group meetings that were scheduled for two weeks' time in Brussels and in Riyad next month.
Brussels is also scaling up the project to discuss the aftermath of the war and how to preserve the two-state solution, according to Mr Koopmans.
He recognised that identifying “lots of wonderful things” will not bring about peace, but the exercise is also meant to project the idea that the EU cares.
“We care about the conflict, we care about their security, their identity, their freedom, and we want to contribute,” he said.
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
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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."
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Dunki
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
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Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
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