Saudi trading volumes rise as MSCI decision nears

Dubai, Jun 8: The Tadawul All Share Index (TASI) rose 0.2 percent on Wednesday in the heaviest trading volume this year as 87 shares rose and 63 declined.

Buying of Saudi stocks favored by foreign funds, in anticipation of a decision by MSCI on June 20 to begin reviewing Riyadh for possible inclusion in its emerging market index, has buoyed the market in recent days.

Dairy producer Almarai rose 0.6 percent and its largest shareholder Savola Group added 0.7 percent, to its highest close in 17 months.

In Dubai, the largest listed real estate developer Emaar Properties surged 8.6 percent in its heaviest trade since April 2015 after it said it planned to offer up to 30 percent of its UAE real estate development business in an initial public offer (IPO). Subject to market conditions, funds raised through the IPO would be distributed to shareholders of Emaar.

The company said the IPO would be Dubai's largest since its flotation of Emaar Malls, which raised 5.8 billion dirhams ($1.58 billion) in 2014 and was heavily oversubscribed. Emaar Malls was up 1.6 percent.

The Dubai index climbed 2.5 percent, its largest single-day gain since December 2016.

In Abu Dhabi, Dana Gas rocketed 10.9 percent in very heavy trade after saying it had received $40 million from the Egyptian government towards its outstanding receivables; its current receivables balance in Egypt now stands at $187 million.

The Abu Dhabi index, however, fell 0.1 percent, weighed down by a 1.4 percent decline in shares of the largest listed bank, First Abu Dhabi Bank.

In Cairo, the index edged up 0.1 percent in its 12th consecutive session of gains to a fresh all-time high.

Ezz Steel soared 7.5 percent after the trade ministry imposed a temporary import tariff on rebar steel from China, Turkey and Ukraine to protect local manufacturers suffering from losses. The decision is valid for fourth months.

Qatar's stock market fell for a third straight day on Wednesday, hit by the breaking of diplomatic ties with its neighbors, though the pace of the drop slowed. The Qatari index lost 1 percent to a fresh 17-month low, taking its losses to 9.7 percent.

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Israel launches bloody ground offensive into Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp

News Network

May 12,2024

Israeli military tanks have started to go deeper into the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza as part of a ground offensive months after claiming Hamas had been “dismantled” in the area.

Israeli forces are “carpet-bombing” the eastern areas of Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, killing and wounding several Palestinians, Al-Jazeara reported citing local sources on Sunday.

Israeli military tanks have advanced further into the Jabalia refugee camp, crossing Salah al-Din Street amidst ongoing battles with Hamas fighters, reports added.

Media quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the tanks are surrounding evacuation centers and residential buildings in the densely populated area, leading to mass evacuations and displacement towards the western part of Gaza City.

Also, Israeli drones targeted ambulances near the clinic run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Jabalia, according to Mahmoud Basal, the spokesperson for the civil defense directorate in Gaza.

Basal stated that emergency crews in Rafah, al-Zaytounm, al-Sabra, and Jabalia have been inundated with distress calls, confirming that these areas were subjected to overnight bombardment.

Shortage of oxygen for patients

Imad Abu Zayda, an emergency doctor in Jabalia, warned of the critical conditions prevailing there due to the recent Israeli aggression in the area.

“No light due to the lack of fuel and there’s no medical supplement available as Israel has expanded their operation in the area. We have no oxygen to give to patients,” he said.

He added that the majority of those injured are children and women, and the medical team is grappling with limited resources to provide essential care.

All hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip are now out of service, following a warning from the UN about the risk of running out of fuel in hospitals across the region.

Israel’s closure of the Rafah crossing has also prevented aid trucks from entering the area since May 5.

The Jabalia refugee camp, established in 1948 to accommodate Palestinians who were displaced after the Nakba, or catastrophe, which refers to the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948, has become the most densely populated refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.

With over 750,000 Palestinians forcefully displaced, this camp stands as a testament to the birth of Israel in 1948.

Since the start of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, Israeli forces carried out several attacks on Jabilia camp, leaving it in ruins by intense bombardment.

In early February, Israeli forces withdrew from the camp claiming it had destroyed Hamas as a fighting force in the northern areas.

On Saturday, the Israeli military ordered residents of the Jabalia Refugee Camp to evacuate “immediately”, as it prepares to launch military operations against Hamas.

However, the displaced residents have no place to seek refuge, as the UN reports a severe famine in the region.

Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed more than 34,971 Palestinians and injured more than 78,641 others, mostly women and children.

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