Sharjah, the UAE’s third-largest emirate, has banned New Year’s Eve fireworks this year as an expression of solidarity with the people of Gaza.

The decision was announced in a Facebook post by Sharjah police, who stated that the ban was “a sincere expression of solidarity and humanitarian cooperation with our siblings in the Gaza Strip.”

Sharjah Police urged everyone to cooperate and comply with the ban.

They also warned that legal measures would be taken against those violating the ban.

The announcement came as almost 21,000 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on the besieged enclave. A number of Israeli soldiers have also lost their lives.

On Wednesday, December 27, 2023, Israel reported that three more soldiers have been killed.

The latest casualties reported by Israeli forces include a 23-year-old deputy company commander in the Givati Brigade and two sergeants, aged 20 and 21, in the same brigade.

All were killed in fighting in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, Israel’s military said.

There were no reports of injuries in the casualty update.

According to a UN report on the situation in Gaza, 24 Israeli soldiers were reported killed in the Palestinian territory between December 22 and 26.

A total of 164 Israeli soldiers have now been killed and 874 injured since the start of Israel’s invasion of Gaza two months ago, the UN said.

It was not known if the latest three deaths were part of the death toll reported by the UN.

According to a reporter, the Israeli military’s mounting death toll is putting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under more scrutiny at home.

“The number of dead will certainly put pressure on Netanyahu,” the reporter said.

He added, “People are asking questions. They’re wondering if the [Israeli military’s] objective is to free the captives held in Gaza, how many soldiers will die as they move that operation forward.”

Nonetheless, the Israeli army posted on its website that hit 200 targets in Gaza from air, land and sea within the past 24 hours.

The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club said in a statement that at least 12 people have been detained by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank in overnight raids.

The raids took place across the occupied West Bank, including Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Tulkarem, the prisoner rights groups said.

The total number of arrests made by Israeli forces since October 7 stands at 4,795, the statement added.

Netanyahu’s Image Tarnished

Ahmed Helal, Director of MENA region at Global Counsel, opined that the ongoing Israel-Gaza war has destroyed Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s image as “Mr Security”, with many Israelis holding him responsible for the attacks.

“The Israeli public is furious and they’re frustrated that their security apparatus let them down and then they are unable to kill the upper echelons of Hamas leadership like Yahya Sinwar [Hamas leader in Gaza],” Helal stated.

“There are no clear wins in this war,” he said.

Helal said that the lack of preparation for the Hamas offensive on October 7 has put Netanyahu in “extreme jeopardy”, potentially ruining his political career, and leaving him susceptible to future investigations.