Dubai police deny reports of stabbing attack against Israelis

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) — Police in Dubai on Monday denied media reports claiming that four Israelis were stabbed in the emirate.

"Safety and security are of paramount importance in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)," the Dubai Media Office said in a statement on X, urging media outlets "to refer to official channels for accurate information."

The statement came after Israeli news outlets reported that four Israelis were injured in a stabbing in Dubai and that security forces had arrested the assailant.

Last week, two Israelis were killed in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, a day after fighting erupted in Israel as Gaza-based Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise attack.

Ten days into the conflict with Hamas, Israeli bombardment and blockade of the Gaza Strip has continued, with over 1 million people – almost half the total population of Gaza – having been displaced, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

Gaza is experiencing a dire humanitarian crisis with no electricity, while water, food, fuel, and medical supplies are running out, as civilians flee to the south following Israeli warning to evacuate northern areas.

The fighting began when Hamas on Oct. 7 initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.

The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza has risen to 2,750, including 750 children.

In Israel, 1,300 have been killed.