Israel's opposition leader Lapid meets UAE FM to discuss post-war Gaza

Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid met the UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed on Thursday to discuss Gaza post-war.

The meeting took place in bin Zayed's home in Abu Dhabi, Lapid's office said, where the two discussed ongoing efforts to reach a deal for the release of captives held in Gaza and a ceasefire in the enclave.

Lapid reiterated the need to release the captives, and reportedly told bin Zayed that "every country in the region can influence the deal", Israeli media reported.

"Israel has an interest in creating, together with the United Arab Emirates and moderate Arab countries, political and economic cooperation that can offer solutions to global problems and deal with regional threats of all kinds," he said.

The meeting comes as Israel threatens an invasion of Rafah, where around 1.4 million forcibly placed Palestinians are residing. The area has already seen intensified Israeli bombing in recent days.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that the US had a clear position on Rafah, days after he had voiced concern over the safety of civilians sheltering in the southern Gaza city.

Israel’s offensive on Gaza has so far killed at least 34,500 Palestinians in Gaza alone, mostly women and children, according to the ministry of health.

At least 10,000 more are buried under the rubble, Gaza’s civil defence said.

The UN reported on Wednesday that Gaza is filled with more debris and rubble than Ukraine - around 37 million tonnes or 300 kilogrammes per square metre.

"Gaza has more rubble than Ukraine, and to put that in perspective, the Ukrainian front line is 600 miles (nearly 1,000 kilometres) long, and Gaza is 25 miles (40 km) long," said Mungo Birch, head of the UNMAS programme in the Palestinian territories.

But the volume of rubble is not the only problem, said UNMAS.

"This rubble is likely heavily contaminated with UXO (unexploded ordnance), but its clearance will be further complicated by other hazards in the rubble," Birch told journalists in Geneva.