Sharjah Police on Tuesday banned New Year's Eve celebrations and fireworks displays in a show of solidarity with the people of Gaza. The force urged all members of the public and organisations to comply with the directive and said legal action will be taken against those caught flouting the ruling. More than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war broke out on October 7.The UAE leadership has made repeated calls for a permanent ceasefire to be agreed to protect civilian lives.
Sharjah is the UAE's third-largest emirate by size and population behind Abu Dhabi and Dubai. There are seven emirates. The UAE forged ties with Israel in 2020 in a move that paved the way for other nations to build relations with Israel. The UAE's showpiece New Years Eve fireworks display are typically held in Dubai, the country's most populous emirate and a regional tourism hub, centred around landmarks such as the Burj Khalifa and the palm tree-shaped artificial island, the Palm Jumeirah. Since the siege went into effect, Gaza's 2.4 million people have been suffering severe shortages of water, food, fuel and medicine, with only limited aid entering the territory. An estimated 1.9 million Gazans have been displaced, according to the UN.