Category: 2. World

As temperatures soar above 51°C this August, the UAE enters its most blistering phase of the year, a time when even stepping outside feels like nature’s version of a sauna treatment, without the relaxation.

While official warnings urge residents to stay inside, thousands of employees have no choice but to brave the scorching streets, sweating through daily commutes on buses and metros just to get to work.

Until August 10, dry heatwaves and scorching temperatures are expected around the country amid the Al Mirzam season, which was marked by the rising of the Mirzam star, also known as Sirius, on July 29.

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Speaking to Khaleej Times, 34-year-old Filipino Socelle Fuentes called for more flexible work initiatives for private sector employees. The Dubai resident travels daily from International City to Jumeirah Lake Towers, where her office is located.

“A flexible work-from-home policy during peak summer conditions would not only support employee wellbeing but could also enhance overall work performance,” said Fuentes.

The video editor also has a solution for private companies unable to go completely remote: “Firms in the UAE should consider offering employees the option to work from home at least one to two days a week during the summer months, if not for all five days.”

Impact on health

As residents have been facing physical discomfort and heat-related illnesses, doctors in the UAE have also reported increased footfall in emergency room in recent days. Residents have been warned of fainting episodes, dehydration, sunburn, heat exhaustion, and worsening of chronic illnesses like heart or kidney disease during this period.

Fuentes said, “The extreme heat and high humidity make even short commutes physically draining. Despite minimal exposure to the sun, the intense humidity often leads to discomfort and difficulty breathing, which can affect both health and productivity.”

For Indian expat Sara (name changed on request), who works as a data scientist, it takes an hour to reach her workplace located inside Dubai Festival City. The resident walks from her home in Al Raffa daily, then uses the bus, metro and abra to reach her office.

“For thousands of expatriates like myself who rely daily on public transportation to get to work, it becomes a test of endurance. From the moment I step out of my home, the heat becomes a relentless companion. By the time I walk from the bus stop to the metro, and then from the marine station to the office, I am soaking in sweat, dehydrated, and exhausted — before the workday has even begun.”

The expat, who wears an abaya while leaving the house, is worried about her health and wellbeing amid rising temperatures. She has even considered carrying a change of clothes to the office.

“The scorching pavements and overcrowded transit areas turn every commute into a challenge. Stress builds up day after day, leaving little energy to focus, perform, or even enjoy life outside of work. For many of us, the summer commute feels like a second job — one we did not sign up for.”

Sara praised Dubai for being a land of opportunities, but hopes for wider acceptance of hybrid work models during these extreme periods.

“Digital infrastructure and hybrid work models are mature enough today to accommodate remote working, at least during the most extreme months. Recognising this struggle and enabling flexible work options wouldn’t just improve productivity, it would show the kind of empathy and inclusivity Dubai aims to stand for.”

Packed public transport

Despite the air conditioning system inside the metro, during the summer months, it tends to get hot and congested during the peak hours. For Talal Mansoor, a software designer working in Al Quoz, the journey can get challenging despite the amenities provided.

“Travelling via metro and bus is generally pretty comfortable but, during peak hours, the air-conditioned bus stands are packed with people, so we end up standing out of the shade. Additionally, a growing population is increasing the rush-hour commute, and we have to skip a few trains at times. It would be favourable to have at least two days of work from home to balance the situation and make work life a little less hectic in this peak summer season.”

The UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention has advised residents to wear breathable clothing to stay cool and minimise sweat during the summer, in addition to avoiding peak daytime heat to avoid fatigue and heat stroke.

It’s also crucial for residents to ensure they are hydrating by drinking a lot of refreshing fluids like anise, mint, hibiscus, and green tea. One should also use sunscreen to protect their skin.

Flexibility offered

In Dubai, since the past few years, government employees get flexible working hours during the summer months. This year, Dubai announced flexible working hours from July 1 until September 12.

The temporary flexible working model aligns with the official five-day working hours. Employees have been divided into two groups, with the first group expected to work eight hours from Monday to Thursday and enjoy Friday as a full holiday.

Meanwhile, the second group works seven hours from Monday to Thursday and 4.5 hours on Friday. The initiative is implemented based on each entity’s discretion.

Some private companies are also offering flexible working models. Natasha Hatherall, Founder and CEO of TishTash Communications, said her company works hybrid at all times and offers a “work from anywhere” option for up to four weeks a year.

“I am known for my progressive and flexible approach to workplace polices. Employees usually use these four weeks to either work from their home country or a cooler climate in the summertime, which makes total sense.

“I always believe and advocate for flexibility and tackling things on a case-by-case basis, but I do not believe we should all work from home full-time during the hot summer months. There are so many benefits of having some time together in the office for brainstorming and bonding. If a company has no flexibility or hybrid working, then maybe they can look at three days in office and a two-day work-from-home schedule to provide some balance.”

Natasha believes that the hot summer is a reality that people who move here choose. “Whilst uncomfortable, the country generally is set up for hot weather and we need to do the best we can around it, but I do not believe moving the entire workforce to work from home is the answer.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Sunday (August 3, 2025) to aid hostages in Gaza, as outrage built at videos showing two of them emaciated.

The premier’s office said he spoke to the ICRC coordinator for the region, Julien Lerisson, and “requested his involvement in providing food to our hostages and… immediate medical treatment”.

The ICRC said in a statement it was “appalled by the harrowing videos” and reiterated its “call to be granted access to the hostages”.

In response, Hamas’s armed wing said that it would allow the agency access to the hostages but only if “humanitarian corridors” for food and aid were opened “across all areas of the Gaza Strip.”

The Al-Qassam Brigades said it did “not intentionally starve” the hostages, but they would not receive any special food privileges “amid the crime of starvation and siege” in Gaza.

Over recent days, Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad have released three videos showing two hostages seized during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing war.

The images of Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David, both of whom appeared weak and malnourished, have fuelled renewed calls in Israel for a truce and hostage release deal.

A statement from Netanyahu’s office on Saturday (August 2, 2025) said he had spoken with the families of the two hostages and “expressed profound shock over the materials distributed by the terror organisations”.

Mr. Netanyahu “told the families that the efforts to return all our hostages are ongoing”, the statement added.

Earlier in the day, tens of thousands of people had rallied in the coastal hub of Tel Aviv to call on Netanyahu’s government to secure the release of the remaining captives.

There was particular outrage in Israel over images of Mr. David, who appeared to be digging what he said in the staged video was his own grave.

The videos make references to the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza, where U.N.-mandated experts have warned a “famine is unfolding”.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the images “are appalling and expose the barbarity of Hamas”, calling for the release of “all hostages… immediately and unconditionally”.

‘Hamas must disarm’

Ms. Kallas said in the same post on X that “Hamas must disarm and end its rule in Gaza” — demands endorsed earlier this week by Arab countries, including key mediators Qatar and Egypt.

She added that “large-scale humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach those in need”.

Israel has heavily restricted the entry of aid into Gaza, while U.N. agencies, humanitarian groups and analysts say that much of what Israel does allow in is looted or diverted in chaotic circumstances.

Many desperate Palestinians are left to risk their lives seeking what aid is distributed through controlled channels.

On Sunday (August 3, 2025), Gaza’s civil Defence agency said Israeli fire killed nine Palestinians who were waiting to collect food rations from a site operated by the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) near the southern city of Rafah.

“The soldiers opened fire on people. I was there, no one posed any threat” to the Israeli forces, 31-year-old witness Jabr al-Shaer told AFP by phone.

There was no comment from the military.

Five more people were killed near a different GHF aid site in central Gaza on Sunday (August 3, 2025), while Israeli attacks elsewhere killed another five people, said civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal.

‘Emaciated and desperate’

Mr. Braslavski and Mr. David are among the 49 hostages taken during Hamas’s 2023 attack who are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

Most of the 251 hostages seized in the attack were released during two short-lived truces, some in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli custody.

Hamas’s 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed at least 60,430 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which are deemed reliable by the UN.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said one of its staff members was killed in an Israeli attack on its Khan Yunis headquarters in southern Gaza.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it was “not aware of a strike” in that area.

Media restrictions and difficulties accessing many areas mean AFP cannot independently verify tolls and details provided by various parties.

‘Provocation’

In Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir conducted a Jewish prayer at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Islam’s third-holiest site, and called for the annexation of Gaza.

The site is also revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, though they are barred from praying there under a long-standing convention.

This was the first time a government Minister openly prayed inside the compound, Israeli media reported.

In a statement filmed at the compound, Ben Gvir said that “the response to Hamas’s horror videos” should include annexing Gaza and the “voluntary emigration” of its population.

Published – August 04, 2025 06:50 am IST

France dropped aid into conflict-torn Gaza on the weekend, and urged Israel to give humanitarian agencies and governments more access to the territory in the face of a growing starvation crisis there.

The nation’s air-dropped aid began to rain down on the people of Gaza on Friday, with Paris saying it would deliver 40 metric tons of humanitarian aid in the following hours in the hope of mitigating the risk of famine.

As the aid started to arrive, France’s President Emmanuel Macron wrote on the X social media platform: “Faced with the absolute urgency, we have just conducted a food airdrop operation in Gaza. Thank you to our Jordanian, Emirati, and German partners for their support, and to our military personnel for their commitment. Airdrops are not enough. Israel must open full humanitarian access to address the risk of famine.”

Earlier, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told the France Info public broadcaster the country planned to complete four drops using planes sent via Jordan.

France’s direct action followed the United Nations’ hunger monitoring agency saying last week that a famine scenario was unfolding in the Gaza Strip after nearly two years of conflict between Israel and the Hamas organization.

Macron’s office said a lot more aid could flow into the Gaza Strip if the Israeli authorities removed impediments it had put in the way.

The French aid drop included food and other supplies, but France said it will do little to prevent the risk of starvation among Gaza’s 2 million residents.

Paris has also said it intends to formally recognize a Palestinian state in the coming weeks, a move that has been mirrored by the governments of the United Kingdom and Canada. The moves are being seen by many as attempts to put pressure on Israel, which is a traditional ally of France, the UK, and Canada, in order to get it to allow more aid to be distributed.

Gaza has been largely cut off from the outside world ever since Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct 7, 2023 that killed 1,200 people led to the ongoing conflict in Gaza that had killed almost 61,000 people as of July 30, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

While critics have claimed Israel is using starvation tactics to try to force the people of Gaza to disassociate themselves with Hamas, Israel’s consul general in New York, Ofir Akunis, told Newsweek magazine: “There is no deliberate starvation in Gaza, only a deliberate disinformation campaign orchestrated by Hamas and amplified by those who fail to act.”

The Israel Defense Forces said recently it has introduced a daily “tactical pause in military activity” to allow UN aid shipments to be brought in to parts of the Gaza Strip by road.