Hello from The National in Abu Dhabi. Here's your morning newsletter with all the top stories from the Mena region.
GAZA/ISRAEL
A Hamas delegation will arrive in Egypt today to deliver its response to truce proposals. US President Biden has repeated “his clear position” on Rafah to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid warnings that an Israeli incursion was imminent. Follow the latest developments here.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expanding his Middle East trip to Israel and Jordan this week, after Palestinian warnings that Israel's invasion of Rafah could happen within days. He landed in Saudi Arabia this morning and is expected to meet senior Saudi leaders and hold a wider meeting with counterparts from several Arab states to further the discussions on governance of the enclave post-war, according to a senior State Department official.
Addressing a special meeting of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the US is the only country that can stop a feared Israeli invasion of Rafah and it will be held responsible for an attack on the Gazan city where more than a million displaced Palestinians have sought refuge. UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron is attending the forum today to call for an immediate humanitarian pause in Gaza.
No plan B: How power politics is shaping Israel's deterrence in the cauldron of war.
Officials have told The National that the collapse of basic services during more than six months of war in the Gaza Strip has led to an accumulation of uncleared waste that is causing severe health and environmental issues.
Read how an Etihad Boeing 777 has been converted into a flying hospital to evacuate sick Gazans.
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
Saudi Arabia’s Finance Minister Mohammed Al Jadaan said the kingdom would adapt to current economic and geopolitical challenges and “downscale” or “accelerate” some of the projects being carried out under its Vision 2030 programme. The kingdom also pledged to give $500 million to efforts to help eradicate polio in children around the world.
The UAE's energy minister said at the forum yesterday that the country may surpass its target of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030 due to low clean energy prices and as more solar capacity is installed to produce green hydrogen.
LEBANON
Cross-border fighting along the Lebanon-Israel front intensified yesterday despite the arrival of France's Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne in Lebanon as part of a western diplomatic push to de-escalate the conflict.
SUDAN
An imminent Rapid Support Forces attack on Al Fasher city in the North Darfur state has sparked fears of a wider bloodshed, as the national army airdrops supplies for the defending garrison.
IRAN
Protesters staged a demonstration in central London yesterday calling for the release of a popular Iranian rapper who was given a death sentence last week.
UAE
Dubai approved designs for a new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport and began construction at a cost of Dh128 billion ($34.8 billion) as the emirate boosts airport capacity to meet growing travel demand.
EGYPT
Egyptian authorities have launched an enforcement drive to ensure bakeries comply with state-mandated price controls on bread, the staple of the nation's 114 million people.
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PLUS …
Raghida Dergham asks: Is Hamas genuine in its desire for peace with Israel?
Ricardo Karam writes that the crackdown on pro-Palestine university protests is unbecoming of the US.
Today's Trending Middle East features more universities in the US joining the wave of protests in support of Palestine.
AND …
Palestinian prisoner Basim Khandaqji wins the International Prize for Arabic Fiction.
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