Politics
Unexploded bombs sow fear among Gazans under fragile truce
Moein al-Hattu’s home has been ripped apart, its cinder block walls blown out into the street and a dusty grey bomb hangs menacingly from a damaged pillar, its tip resting on a crushed chest of drawers.
Weighing more than a tonne, the munition was dropped during an airstrike on Gaza City during fighting between Israel and Hamas but has not exploded, yet.
“I’m living in terror and unable to remove it,” al-Hattu told AFP, as children wandering through the rubble paused to marvel at the threatening intrusion.
The grey-bearded Palestinian wants to hang tarpaulins from the shell of his bombed-out home and move back in, but has been unable to find anyone in Gaza with the skills or equipment to remove the giant bomb.
“The relevant authorities, whether the civil defence or the municipality, say they can’t remove it. Who can I go to and complain to?” he demanded.
“If it had exploded, it would have caused massive destruction and destroyed at least five to six houses.”
After two years of war, the ruined cities of Gaza, a densely packed territory home to more than two million Palestinians, are littered with military debris, including unexploded, still-deadly munitions.
In the streets of Gaza City, children play with rocket parts and the tail fins of mortar shells, oblivious to or unbothered by the danger.
According to a study by charity Handicap International, Israel has dropped around 70,000 tonnes of explosives on targets in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
Cardboard for cooking
In January this year, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) warned that between five and 10% of these bombs did not explode — leaving their deadly payloads to be recovered by the fighters or discovered by frightened residents.
At Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, Mohammed Nour sat beside a bed holding his two injured children.
The pair watched mute and glassy-eyed, their legs bound and skin flecked with shrapnel as he explained how they had been injured.
“We were setting up our tents and the boys went to look for wood, nylon and cardboard to burn to use for cooking,” Nour told AFP.
“About ten metres away from us, we suddenly saw boys being thrown by the explosion. We didn’t think they were our children and then we found them scattered in every corner.”
Nour’s sons may yet keep their limbs but in a nearby bed, six-year-old Yahya has lost part of his right hand and is all but covered in bandages. His grandfather Tawfiq al-Sharbasi sits by him, keeping vigil and strokes his hair.
“These are children. What did they do wrong? They were playing,” he said.
Jonathan Crickx, spokesman for Unicef Palestine, told AFP it was very difficult to estimate how many children have been injured by unexploded ordnance.
“Following the recent ceasefire, we have recorded reports indicating that at least eight children were seriously injured by explosive remnants of war,” he said, adding that UN agencies are trying to raise awareness of the threat.
To date, no demining equipment has been authorised to enter the Gaza Strip by the Israeli army.
DUBAI: If you’ve ever dreamed of a five-star hotel on wheels, your wait may soon be over. The UAE is preparing to launch one of its most glamorous travel experiences yet — a luxury train that will redefine rail travel across the Emirates.
Set to debut in 2028, the Etihad Rail luxury train will take passengers on a breathtaking journey from Fujairah’s coastline to the golden dunes of Liwa Desert in Abu Dhabi.
Designed and built by Italy’s Arsenale Group, the train will feature 15 opulent carriages — complete with private suites, fine-dining restaurants, a presidential suite, and a majlis-style VIP lounge inspired by Arabian elegance.
Described as a “five-star hotel on rails”, the luxury service promises travellers an experience where comfort meets adventure — from waking up to mountain views in Hatta to dining under desert stars in Liwa.
Etihad Rail’s regular passenger service is expected to begin next year, paving the way for this elite experience that could transform the way people explore the UAE.
For those who crave luxury, scenery and sophistication, the ultimate train journey is on its way.
Etihad Rail’s passenger service, which will initially connect 11 areas within the UAE, is set to launch next year. The service will eventually connect all seven emirates, transforming the country’s transport system.
- Ontario aired anti-tariff ad featuring Ronald Reagan.
- Trump announced to increase tariffs in response.
- Carney says he did not want to proceed with the ad.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Saturday he had apologised to US President Donald Trump over an anti-tariff political advertisement and had told Ontario Premier Doug Ford not to run it.
Carney, speaking to reporters after attending an Asia-Pacific summit in South Korea, said he had made the apology privately to Trump when they both attended a dinner hosted by South Korea’s president on Wednesday.
“I did apologise to the president,” Carney said, confirming comments by Trump made on Friday.
Carney also confirmed that he had reviewed the ad with Ford before it aired, but said he had opposed using it.
“I told Ford I did not want to go forward with the ad,” he said.
The ad, commissioned by Ford, an outspoken Conservative politician who is sometimes compared to Trump, uses a snippet of Republican icon and former President Ronald Reagan saying that tariffs cause trade wars and economic disaster.
In response, Trump announced that he was increasing tariffs on goods from Canada, and Washington has also halted trade talks with Canada.
When departing South Korea earlier this week, Trump remarked he had a “very nice” conversation with Carney at that dinner, but did not elaborate. On Friday, Trump still said the United States and Canada will not restart trade talks but Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney apologised to him for an Ontario political ad using former President Ronald Reagan saying tariffs spell disaster.
“I like him a lot, but what they did was wrong,” the US president said. “He apologised for what they did with the commercial because it was a false commercial.”
Meanwhile, Carney said his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday were a turning point in relations after years of tensions.
The last formal meeting between the leaders of Canada and China happened in 2017 when then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a brief exchange with Xi at a meeting in San Francisco.
The trip to Asia had been part of efforts to reduce Canada’s reliance on the United States, Carney said.
The ceasefire in Gaza has eased the trauma of Israel’s air strikes and blockade but a shortage of cash has left Palestinians unable to spend what little money they have without falling victim to wartime profiteers.
Banks, many damaged or destroyed along with homes, schools and other institutions across Gaza during two years of war, began reopening on October 16, six days after the ceasefire was announced. Queues soon formed but people came away disappointed.
“There is no money, liquidity at the bank,” said father-of-six Wael Abu Fares, 61, standing outside the Bank of Palestine. “You just come and do paperwork transactions and leave.”
People need cash for most everyday transactions in Gaza, whether to buy food in the market or pay utility bills, but Israel blocked transfers of banknotes along with most other goods following the attack and mass hostage-taking by Hamas-led fighters in October 2023.
Huge fees to cash salaries
“Banks are open, Air conditioning is on, but they are mostly doing electronic business, no deposits, no withdrawals of cash,” Gaza economist Mohammad Abu Jayyab told Reuters.
“People go to some greedy merchants to cash their salaries and they give them cash for a huge fee, which ranges between 20% and sometimes goes to 40%.”
Mother-of-seven Iman al-Ja’bari longs for a time when transactions at banks used to take less than an hour.
“You need two or three days to go back and forth, back and forth, spending your whole life standing there,” she said. “And in the end, you only get 400 or 500 shekels ($123 or $153). What can this (amount) buy with the incredibly high prices today that we can’t afford?”.
For a few Palestinians, the cash crunch has provided an opportunity to eke out a living. Manal al-Saidi, 40, repairs damaged banknotes to cover some basic needs.
“I work and I make 20, 30 shekels ($6, $9), and I leave with a loaf of bread, beans for dinner, falafel, anything, something simple,” she said, wiping notes.
“Not that I can get (afford) vegetables or anything, no, just enough to get by.”
Some people resort to electronic transfers through bank apps for even small items such as eggs or sugar, but the sellers apply additional fees.
The issue of cash supplies into Gaza was not included in US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, which also left the details of reconstruction and security to be decided.
COGAT, the arm of the Israeli military that oversees aid flows into the Gaza Strip, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether or when banknotes may be allowed back in.
The shortage of notes and coins has compounded the crisis for Gazans who have lost relatives, jobs and homes, used up their savings and sold their possessions to buy food, tents and medications. Some have resorted to barter to get by.
Palestinian merchant Samir Namrouti, 53, has got used to banknotes that are almost unrecognisable through overuse.
“What matters to me is its serial number. As long as its serial number is there, that’s it, I treat it as money,” he said.
Header image: Palestinian woman Manal al-Saidi repairs damaged banknotes on the side of a street, amid a cash crisis, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, October 27, 2025. — Reuters
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