Egypt, UAE Resume First Qatar Flights since 2017

A mask-clad traveller checks in at Doha airport as Qatar and Egypt resumed direct flights for the first time since 2017. (AFP)
A mask-clad traveller checks in at Doha airport as Qatar and Egypt resumed direct flights for the first time since 2017. (AFP)
TT
20

Egypt, UAE Resume First Qatar Flights since 2017

A mask-clad traveller checks in at Doha airport as Qatar and Egypt resumed direct flights for the first time since 2017. (AFP)
A mask-clad traveller checks in at Doha airport as Qatar and Egypt resumed direct flights for the first time since 2017. (AFP)

The first direct flights since 2017 between Qatar and its former rivals Egypt and the UAE took to the skies on Monday, following the end of a regional crisis.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar over its support for terrorism.

The quartet agreed to heal the rift at a Gulf summit on January 5 in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla.

The first commercial flight from Qatar to Egypt in three and a half years, an EgyptAir service to Cairo, took off from windswept Doha airport.

It was followed shortly after by the arrival of an Air Arabia flight from Sharjah in the UAE.

A Qatar Airways plane was due to also make the trip to Cairo later Monday.

Flights between Doha and Saudi Arabia, which has also opened its land border to Qatar, resumed on January 11.



UAE Sentences Killers of Israeli Rabbi to Death

The court unanimously sentenced the three defendants who carried out the murder and kidnapping to death, while the accomplice who aided them received a life sentence. (WAM)
The court unanimously sentenced the three defendants who carried out the murder and kidnapping to death, while the accomplice who aided them received a life sentence. (WAM)
TT
20

UAE Sentences Killers of Israeli Rabbi to Death

The court unanimously sentenced the three defendants who carried out the murder and kidnapping to death, while the accomplice who aided them received a life sentence. (WAM)
The court unanimously sentenced the three defendants who carried out the murder and kidnapping to death, while the accomplice who aided them received a life sentence. (WAM)

The United Arab Emirates on Monday sentenced three people to death for the murder of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who was killed in November in the Gulf country, state news agency WAM reported.

The Abu Dhabi Federal Appeal Court ruled the murder of Zvi Kogan, 28, was committed by the defendants in pursuance of a "terrorist purpose," according to WAM.

Attorney General Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi had ordered the four defendants to be brought to a swift trial in January 2025, following investigations conducted by the State Security Prosecution, which revealed that the defendants had tracked and murdered the victim.

The evidence presented by the State Security Prosecution to the court included the defendants' detailed confessions to the crimes of murder and kidnapping, along with forensic reports, post-mortem examination findings, details of the instruments used in the crime, and witness testimonies.

The court unanimously sentenced the three defendants who carried out the murder and kidnapping to death, while the accomplice who aided them received a life sentence followed by deportation from the country after serving his sentence.

Under UAE law, sentences of capital punishment are automatically subject to appeal and are referred to the Criminal Division of the Federal Supreme Court for review and adjudication.

The Attorney General stressed that the verdict reflects the UAE’s unwavering commitment to combating terrorism in accordance with the highest standards of justice and the rule of law while ensuring fair trial guarantees. He stressed that the UAE judiciary resolutely confronts any attempts to undermine national security and stability.

Furthermore, the Attorney General added that the United Arab Emirates stands as a global model of coexistence and tolerance, where its laws protect all residents, regardless of religion or ethnicity, ensuring their safety and security.