is travel insurance allowed in islam

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Home » Hanafi Fiqh » Muftionline.co.za » Permissibility of Insurance in Islam: Quranic and Hadith References

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Permissibility of Insurance in Islam: Quranic and Hadith References

Q: Is Health insurance policy, life insurance policy etc is permissible in Islam? Kindly send some reference of hadith and Quran also.

A: All forms of insurance policies are haraam in Islam as the elements of gambling and interest are found in it.

And Allah Ta’ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ الرِّبَا لَا يَقُومُونَ إِلَّا كَمَا يَقُومُ الَّذِي يَتَخَبَّطُهُ الشَّيْطَانُ مِنَ الْمَسِّ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا الْبَيْعُ مِثْلُ الرِّبَا وَأَحَلَّ اللَّـهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا فَمَن جَاءَهُ مَوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ فَانتَهَىٰ فَلَهُ مَا سَلَفَ وَأَمْرُهُ إِلَى اللَّـهِ وَمَنْ عَادَ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ ﴿البقرة: ٢٧٥﴾

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ وَالْأَنصَابُ وَالْأَزْلَامُ رِجْسٌ مِّنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿المائدة: ٩٠﴾

Answered by:

Mufti Zakaria Makada

Checked & Approved:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)

This answer was collected from MuftiOnline.co.za, where the questions have been answered by Mufti Zakaria Makada (Hafizahullah), who is currently a senior lecturer in the science of Hadith and Fiqh at Madrasah Ta’leemuddeen, Isipingo Beach, South Africa.

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Is Insurance Halal or Haram? Muslim Finance | Islamic Finance Guru

14 min read

Published: 31 May 2022

Updated: 25 August 2023

Ibrahim Khan

I suspect this is the most controversial article to appear yet on IFG.

Well, much of the opinions I hold on Islamic financial matters are the mainstream ones, but as I have studied the topic of insurance more, I have increasingly found myself switching position.

Below are my preliminary thoughts in favour of why insurance, of most kinds, should be considered permissible (halal).

Let me also add, for those of you who may not realise this, there are a minority of scholars currently alive and passed away who have held that insurance is halal. This may not be immediately obvious given how widespread the view is that insurance is haram, but it is important to point this out so that one doesn’t think that what is being put forward here is completely novel.

These scholars and academics include, Sh. Mustafa Zarqa, Sh. Ali AlKhafeef, and Nejatullah Siddiqi.

There are also some prominent modern scholars, but I would not want to attribute complex positions to them without studying with them first, and it is best left to them to articulate their own positions should they feel the need to.

(Be sure to check the follow-up article on "Is life insurance haram or halal?" )

The Basic Premise

The basic premise I want you all to keep in mind is that Islam and the fuqaha (legal jurists) do allow us to mitigate risk by pooling our wealth and paying out to those who lose out from an uncertain loss.

Traditionally, in Arabia if a tribesman needed to pay blood money (a large sum) to someone, then the entire tribe would chip in a small amount to make up the sum. They did this as a charitable gesture so no one of their number would be overcome by the massive payment. Relating to this, fuqaha allow takaful insurance – which is a form of cooperative insurance along these lines.

More on this later, but remember: the basic principle of mitigating loss by pooling wealth is uncontroversially halal. The debate is on how it is done, i.e. the conditions and structures involved.

The argument against conventional insurance is that it involves riba (interest), gharar (uncertainty), and maysir (gambling).

In this article I will focus on the strongest and most central of these objections: gharar .

For the purposes of this article let us take “insurance” to mean common types of insurance like car insurance, house insurance, pet insurance, medical insurance, and business insurance (as opposed to more complicated setups such as life insurance or reinsurance).

Islam forbids transactions in which there is gharar .

The argument against conventional insurance goes that this is a gharar -based transaction where something uncertain is being bought in exchange for a premium – so is not allowed. You are uncertain if you will ever have an accident after you buy car insurance and most people don’t and lose all their money for no return each year.

Takaful or cooperative insurance on the other hand is allowed as it is fundamentally a gift to the pot – and so – even though it looks structurally identical to conventional insurance – in fact from a fiqhi perspective because it is a gift, it is okay to get back more or less than that which you put in. So, the guy who pays his fellow tribesman a contribution for the blood money due is doing it not as a bilateral contract but as a gift out of the goodness of his heart.

But having considered the arguments based on gharar that forbid insurance, I have come to the conclusion that conventional insurance is not the kind of gharar -based transaction the ahadith about gharar are trying to forbid. Let me show you why.

These are a flavour of the hadith dealing with gharar :

• Imam Muslim records in his Sahih: “On the authority of Abu Hurairah who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade ‘sales of a speculative nature’ (bai al-gharar).”
• Tirmidhi records the Prophet said “Do not sell that which you do not have.”
• Al-Bukhari and Muslim record “On the authority of ibn Umar who said that ‘the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prohibited the sale of fruits until their ripeness and freedom from disease were apparent. He prohibited both the seller and the buyer.’”
• Ahmad and Ibn Majah record “The Prophet (PBUH) has forbidden the purchase of the unborn animal in its mother’s womb, the sale of the milk in its udder without measurement, the purchase of spoils of war prior to their distribution, the purchase of charities prior to their receipt, and the purchase of the catch of a diver.”
• Ahmad records “the Prophet forbade the purchase of a runaway slave.”
• Ibn Al Athir Al Jazaria records “The Prophet forbade the selling of fruit before it is known to be of acceptable quality.”
• Al-Bukhari and Muslim record the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) has allowed bay’ al-araya in quantities less than five awsaq (equivalent to approximately 653kg), meaning the sale of fresh dates on the palm in exchange for aged dried dates.
• Aisha narrated “I said “Oh Messenger of Allah, people borrow bread and yeast from their neighbours, and they return more or less, is this permissible?” He said: “There is no harm in this; it is a common practice of the people, and the increase or diminution is not what they intend.” (Abu Bakr Ash-Shafi from Aisha, mentioned in Zuhayli’s “Financial Transactions in Islamic Jurisprudence, p.254); and in another narration from Muadh ibn Jabal , “so take the larger amount and give the smaller, or take the smaller and give the bigger, the best among you is the one who is best in paying back his debts.”
• Muslim records “Ibn ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) reported that when Allah’s Prophet (may peace be upon him) came to Medina, they were paying one and two years in advance for fruits, so he said: Those who pay in advance for anything must do so for a specified weight and for a definite time.”

From (1), we can see that trades involving gharar are not allowed, as we have already discussed. From hadiths (2)-(6), we can piece together why that is the case: in each of these instances the thing that is being driven at is to have a clear, unambiguous contract where there is no room for dispute down the line. Furthermore, the harm of allowing outweighs the benefit of allowing, so the conclusion is not to allow.

My argument is that conventional insurance is not such a contract as it is sufficiently clear. More on this below. But let’s label this the negative argument.

Let’s look at hadith (7)-(9): these are just some of the hadith where the Prophet allowed for some uncertainty in the contract to make it easy for people and businessmen, or because it was a custom of the people, and where the benefit of allowing outweighed the harm.

Thus, we can clearly see Islam does countenance gharar in money matters – Bai’ salam and takaful are just two examples. As such, there are independent positive arguments for why conventional insurance is beneficial and customary enough to fall among such categories and not the one of prohibited gharar . Let’s label this the positive argument.

Finally, I find that when one examines modern-day examples of transactions deemed halal that involve a degree of gharar , e.g. takaful insurance, then one struggles to pinpoint how exactly these deemed-halal examples are different to conventional insurance which is deemed haram. Let’s call this the takaful argument .

The Negative Argument

The fundamental issue is whether the thing being bought in an insurance contract is tangible and certain enough for the contract to be deemed valid. The Prophet forbade one from buying a diver’s catch until he’d actually got his catch, come back, and started selling tangible fish. The reason was that it was unclear what exactly is being bought or sold. The object of the contract must be certain.

But let’s imagine the modern day, where big data and historical statistics allow us to model very accurately what the average catch will be. In this situation, I don’t see a problem for Tesco, say, entering a year-long contract with a fishing company, to provide it whatever it catches, with the understanding that on average, x amount is what is expected.

Similarly, in insurance, certainly from an insurance company’s perspective, big data allows a lot of certainty as to where they stand. The trickier question is, do consumers enjoy the same level of certainty? Well, a competitive market certainly helps. It helps efficiently price the good that customers are purchasing: “security” or “peace of mind”. This ensures that they are not exploited.

When we think about “security” or “peace of mind” they may sound like fluffy and intangible objectives. But let’s analogise with a security guard. He is paid a wage for providing security. What does that look like? It looks like him standing around waiting for the one day in the year when he needs to earn his keep. The rest of the time he is just on stand-by. But he is being paid for is being on stand-by, being available, and dealing with any other related requests you might have.

Similarly, an insurer contracts to have available people to speak to you, provide you with documents should you need them, and to do checks whenever you claim. They are not being called upon to deliver money every day, but they are providing some quite tangible services that are clear and understandable.

Further analogies can be made with estate agents who provide a service arrangement for landlords: if the landlord’s property ever needs repairing, the estate agent will sort it out. Or how about the law firm who contracts to provide all the legal requirements of a company?

In both these cases the estate agent and the law firm expect to make a profit overall given that they will have a roster of such clients. One or two may be costly, but the other ones won’t require much work and the estate agent/law firm will be profitable in the end. The parallels between this arrangement and a car or home insurance contract where the insurer becomes responsible for paying for any damage/theft that may happen, are striking.

In short, insurance is a sufficiently clear contract, certainly in our day and age.

The Positive Argument

Insurance gives certainty – this is incredibly important to the business world, but it is also incredibly important for the day to day lives of people. The Prophet specifically allowed for bai salam (for farmers to sell in advance their crop so that they may raise money now) as it genuinely helped people live their lives in a more stress-free way (see hadith 9 above). He weighed up the uncertainty caused by the transaction against the benefit that came from it, and clearly he decided that the benefit outweighed the harm.

I also find hadith (7) and (8) fascinating, not because they are precisely applicable here, but because they indicate that sometimes an unequal exchange in transactional matters is acceptable. In the case of (7) this helped ease business in Arabia where the primary agriculture was in dates, while in the case of (8) a debt was allowed to be paid back slightly more or less. Standardly, one must return a debt exactly, and not even add a gift on for fear of it becoming considered interest. However, maintaining community ties trumps all of that.

And notice how in (7), the Prophet sets quite an easy bar for what is allowed. 650kg is a lot of dates and the Prophet allowed araya trades under that amount. He could have set the amount at 10kg, say, but the instinct was one of making ease for business and life, not hardship.

Insurance is centrally important for businesses to maintain a steady ship from month-to-month and to protect against unexpected crises. It helps makes large deals happen as well, as insurers will often be involved in underwriting the risk of a transaction falling through, or acting as guarantors for parties. These are all important lubricants to our economy. Further, insurance creates large pools of wealth which are then invested throughout society – again, a vital element for a healthy economy.

There are a number of other benefits to insurance, some of which are excellently outlined in this article . In a nutshell, the point is that insurance, while it may have some degree of gharar in it, it is still justifiable given that there is a great benefit to it, and that our Sharia h historically does allow for some gharar -heavy transactions if the benefit outweighs the harm.

The Takaful Argument

The blood money mutual insurance concept was the inspiration for coming up with a takaful cooperative insurance model for our time. The basic concept is that a bunch of people pool their money together not-for-profit to mutually cover each other’s backs. I like the cooperative model. If one exists I encourage people to use that – as at heart it is much more of a charitable and communal venture.

Fundamentally, a takaful model is identical to a conventional model in the important elements of the structure.

Both organisations aim to make a surplus, pay their employees and managers, pool participant cash and then pay out in the cash of a claim. There is also an element of reciprocity akin to a commutative contract in a takaful model. One isn’t just donating the money and forgetting about it. One is donating with the expectation that the takaful pool will pay out in the case the donor needs it.

There is actually a quasi-commutative contract in place here as well (as there is a quasi-obligation on both parties). [Arguments that the object of the contract is indeterminate in conventional insurance, and therefore it is haram (see negative argument above), might face counterarguments that actually a classic takaful model is not a pure hiba (gift) and as such there is a quasi-contract and it has an object and this object is as indeterminate as the one in the conventional model – and so either both are haram or both are halal.]

Secondly, if we go back to the blood money situation from which takaful is often analogised with – the money wasn’t actually pooled and then invested by the tribe. The tribe would pay up as and when a calamity happened. So in a way, it was a purer form of hiba as there was no quasi-contract between tribesmen. But that is not practicable these days in a non-t riba l and atomistic society.

So, the takaful model allows for people to pay in beforehand. This of course creates an expectation – and it is that expectation that is the object. So the point I’m driving at is, the takaful industry has already compromised somewhat on the pure blood money setup for practicality purposes, and in so doing made itself near identical with a conventional insurer. If this point is conceded, then really there are few substantive other differences between the two models.

Yes, the conventional model can arguably be seen as more profit-driven, won’t pay out any profits to participants, and charge higher fees. But in reality, viewing things from the 21st Century lens where we live in a world of footloose capital, international finance and financial institutions that straddle multiple continents, and a population that is almost unimaginably larger than it was, say, a thousand years ago, we need insurance companies of considerable size to be able to make things work, and this requires an incredible amount of effort. To expect someone to handle all this without a profit motive is highly optimistic. And the takaful companies that exist – they are all profit-making as well.

Major insurance providers are the ones who are setting them up through Islamic windows and funding them (indeed, given the enormous capital requirements for insurance companies, large insurers are often the only entities that can help start takaful companies) and they will make money off them just like their conventional insurance operations. The difference is only in the structuring. The intention to make profit is exactly the same. They price risk and meet shortfalls in funds just like conventional insurers, though in a pure takaful model presumably one would price contribution by how well-off one is (as it is a gift) and if there is a shortfall one would have a whip-round from the other members.

Finally, the Cooperative company in the UK is a fantastic model and in my research I learnt more about them and actually joined up. They pay back profit to their members and give discounts to their members in their stores. But interestingly, they were doing terribly until they became increasingly corporatised and commercialised, and now they’re running pretty effectively. Make of that what you will!

Concluding Remarks

This is the longest article we have published on IFG so far – and it is so because the argument made requires more of a defence as it is a minority position. However, please do note that this article is merely a summary of the topic and my views; a fuller treatment would extend into the tens of thousands of words. Each of those hadith mentioned, for example, have had countless pages written on them over the centuries, and to analyse them fully requires a small book, not to mention all the other hadith I have not even mentioned.

A few further points to note in brief:

• Takaful is definitely halal and cooperative insurance is in my view pretty much equivalent with the exception of the next bullet point
• Insurers invest in haram areas so to the extent you’re insuring with a certain return at the end such as life insurance, I need to do further thinking on this but preliminarily, the same rulings apply for any fund that you invest in that has haram holdings (see this article .)
• Where you’re buying insurance linked to some kind of damage (car insurance) as opposed to any investing motive, preliminarily I don’t see any issues with this as you are contracting with the insurer, and what they independently do with their money is not your concern
• It may be that life insurance, as opposed to other kinds of insurance, has particular issues with it – I can’t pass comment on that until further research
• With regards to compulsory insurance like car insurance or employers’ liability insurance – this is of course fine to get from a Shariah perspective even if all my arguments above are wrong

And, as I said at the start, my thinking on this topic is still maturing as I read deeper into it. I would consequently be interested in hearing other people’s views, thoughts, and critiques of what has been written here so that we can deepen each other’s knowledge.

Please remember to subscribe to our email list (box on the top right).

Also, while you’re here and thinking about planning your finances after you pass away for your loved ones, you should also think about sorting out your Islamic will. On average people misplace assets or lose through tax inefficiency up to £9700 when they die without a will. On top of that as a Muslim having a will is super important so that your inheritance is separated up the Islamic way. So if you’re a UK resident, then please do check out IFG Wills and get your Islamic will sorted within 30 minutes.

Further resources:

• https://www.amjaonline.org/the-question-of-insurance-part-i/  – An excellent summary of the conventional arguments against insurance
• https://practicalislamicfinance.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/dissent-of-mustapha-al-zarqa.pdf
• https://archive.org/details/FinancialTransactionsInIslamicJurisprudenceVolume1
• Gharar in contracts and and its effects in modern applications – Dr. Muhammad Al-Ameen Ad-Dareer [Arabic]
• The Insurance System – its reality and a legal opinion on it – SH. Mustafa Zarqa [Arabic]
• Radd al-Muhtaar ala al-Durr al-Mukhtaar Sharh Tanweer al-Absaar – Muhammad Ameen ibn Abideen [Arabic]
• http://www.jamaalzarabozo.com/audio/insurance.pdf – Sh. Zarabozo article on Insurance

Ibrahim is a published author and Islamic finance and investment specialist. He is currently the CEO of Islamicfinanceguru and its sister investment company Cur8 Capital. He holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Oxford, an Alimiyyah degree from the Al Salam Institute, and an MA in Islamic Finance. Prior to setting up Islamic Finance Guru, Ibrahim was a corporate lawyer. He trained at Ashurst LLP and then specialised in private equity and venture capital funds at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. He holds a Diploma in Investment Advice & Financial Planning & Certificate in Investment Management. Publication: Halal Investing for Beginners: How to Start, Grow and Scale Your Halal Investment Portfolio (Wiley) Ibrahim is a published author and Islamic finance and investment specialist. He is currently the CEO of Islamicfinanceguru and its sister investment company Cur8 Capital. He holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Oxford, an… maxLength" x-text="isCollapsed ? 'Read less' : 'Read more'" class="underline transition-all duration-300 link-color text-theme-green decoration-transparent hover:decoration-theme-green underline-offset-4">Read More

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What Are the Basic Rulings of Prayer During Travel?

Answered by Shaykh Faraz A. Khan

My university is some 95 miles from my home address and I stay there five nights a week and return home for two. When not at university, I attend an unpaid placement some 200 miles from my home address and approximately 125 miles from the university. I usually stay here between 14 and 28 days at a time.

According to the Hanafi school of thought, do I qualify for the conditions of travel (safar) whilst at university and on placement and how do I correctly fulfill these?

I pray this finds you in the best of health and states.

According to the Hanafi school, the conditions of being deemed a traveler are to:

(a) go to a place at least (roughly) 48mi (77km) from one’s home, and

(b) stay there for less than 15 days.

Hence, you do meet the conditions of travel when you are at university. You also meet those conditions when you are on placement as long as you stay there for less than 15 days at a time. If you stay there for 15 days or longer, you are legally a resident there.

When one is a traveler, it is mandatory (wajib) to shorten the obligatory four-rakat prayers (zuhr, ‘asr and ‘isha) to two rakats. One still prays the sunna prayers though, unless in the midst of a journey and in the rush of travel.

If one is a traveler during the month of Ramadan, then fasting is optional, although it is superior to do so if it does not pose undue hardship. Of course if one does not fast, it is obligatory to make up the missed days. [Shurunbulali, Ascent to Felicity; Maraqi Falah]

This is merely a quick summary; for more details on the rulings related to travel, it would be strongly advised to take a basic course such as: Absolute Essentials of Islam: Beliefs & Worship

Related Answers:

• When Is a Person Considered a Traveler Who Can Shorten Their Prayers?
• Shortening Prayers when Traveling for Leisure?
• A Real Life Case Study of When to Shorten Prayers and Refrain from Fasting When Traveling
• Should I Feel Bad for Not Fasting When I Had to Travel?
• Are We Supposed to Pray Sunna and Witr Prayers When Traveling?

And Allah knows best. wassalam, [Shaykh] Faraz A. Khan Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Faraz A. Khan has lived in Amman, Jordan, for several years studying and teaching traditional Islamic sciences, with a focus on Hanafi jurisprudence, hadith studies, theology, logic, and Arabic grammar. He translated and annotated the classical Hanafi primer “Ascent to Felicity” (Maraqi ‘l-Sa`adat) by Imam Shurunbulali, recently published by White Thread Press.

Related Posts

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ADMINISTRATION OF MUSLIM LAW ACT (CHAPTER 3, SECTION 32)

Fatwa issued, fatwa (legal) committee, islamic religious council of singapore.

The Fatwa Committee has discussed the issue of Revocable Insurance Nomination in its 10th meeting of 15th September 2011, 11th meeting of 17 November 2011, 12th meeting of 5th January 2012 and 13th meeting of 2nd Feb 2012.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الحمد لله رب العالمين ، والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وإمام المتقين نبينا محمد وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين.  اللهم أرنا الحق حقا وارزقنا اتباعه، وأرنا الباطل باطلا وارزقنا اجتنابه . وبعد ، 

• The Fatwa Committee has received some questions from members of the Muslim community on the ruling of making a revocable nomination for their insurance policies. This matter was also reported in Berita Harian on 7 April 2011.
• This issue rose following the amendments to the Insurance Act in September 2009. This amendment allows insurance policy holders in general to make a revocable nomination 1 . A consequential amendment was subsequently made to section 111(1) 2 of the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA). The consequential amendment disallows Muslims from making a revocable nomination except when it is in accordance to Islamic law.

General Explanation

• The Fatwa Committee acknowledges that Muslim scholars/jurists differ in their opinions on purchasing insurance. While some view it as permissible in Islam on the basis of protecting the welfare of Muslims 3 , others view it as prohibited due to the aspects of syubhah 4 and gharar 5 , whether in the process of how the fund is accumulated, or how it is invested 6 .
• In its discussion, the Fatwa Committee takes into consideration the changes to the economic and demographic aspects that lead someone to plan for his/her finances, in preparation for old age, or his/her family’s future needs. With limited investment options for low and middle income members of the community, some of them may choose to undertake financial planning in the form of insurance.
• The Fatwa Committee opines that each individual Muslim who intends to participate in any insurance scheme is responsible in choosing a scheme which best fulfills the requirements of the Shariah, based on the views of the Muslim jurists that he/she is most convinced with.

Necessity of a nomination

• The Fatwa Committee is of the opinion that a nomination for insurance is an instrument which can fulfill the needs of those who plan for their insurance monies to be benefited by those in need. On this basis, a fatwa was issued by the Fatwa Committee in 2007 which allows insurance nomination for Muslims. However, only irrevocable nominations were allowed in the 2007 fatwa as this form of nomination was seen as fulfilling the description and requirement of hibah 7   as described in Islamic Fiqh (jurisprudence) literature.
• Based on Fatwa Committee’s observation of the application of irrevocable nomination since the issuance of the 2007 fatwa, the Committee found that there are a number of limitations with irrevocable nomination which could pose difficulties to the insurance policy holder. Some of the limitations are:
• The requirement that only a spouse or children can be made nominees (beneficiaries) for an irrevocable nomination.
• An irrevocable nomination cannot be revoked or amended even after a divorce has taken place (except with the consent of the nominee(s).
• Any payout from the life benefits of the insurance policy (if any) is payable only to the nominee(s). This means that if the policy holder is involved in an accident, he/she will not benefit from the insurance payout.
• If the nominee passes on before the insurance policy holder, the nominee’s portion from the nomination is considered as part of his/her estate, and does not return to the insurance policy holder.

Comparison between CPF nomination and revocable insurance nomination

• In reviewing the fatwa position on revocable nomination, the Fatwa Committee studied the fatwa regarding CPF nomination issued in 2010 to analyze the characteristics of both types of nomination. Based on this study, the Fatwa Committee found that there are similarities between the two as follow:
• The returns from both types of accounts becomes the right of the nominees upon the death of the CPF account holder or the insurance policy holder.
• The nomination is invalidated/revoked upon the death of the nominee, and the monies remain within the rights of the CPF account holder or the insurance policy holder.
• The CPF account holder and insurance policy holder has the right to amend his/her nomination without seeking prior consent from any nominee.

The concept of hibah and nomination

• The Fatwa Committee also finds similarities between hibah and nomination in more than one aspect. Amongst them is that a wahib or gifter has the right to revoke or change his/her hibah provided no qabadh 8  has taken place. In the instance of revocable insurance nomination, similar to CPF nomination, qabadh has not yet taken place before the death of the policy holder according to the provisions of the civil law.

[ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَوْفُوا بِالْعُقُودِ ]

Which means:  Oh you who believe! fulfil (all) your indentures.    [Al-Maidah : Verse 1].

Al-Qur’an also says: 

[ وَأَوْفُوا بِالْعَهْدِ إِنَّ الْعَهْدَ كَانَ مَسْؤُولاً ]

Which means:  And keep the covenant. Lo! Of the covenant it will be asked.  [Al-Isra’ : Verse 34].

Decision of the Fatwa Committee

9  الأَصْلَ فِي الْعُقُودِ وَالشُّرُوطِ الصِّحَّةُ إلا مَا أَبْطَلَهُ الشَّارِعُ أَوْ نَهَى عَنْهُ. 

The original status of a contract is permissible, unless what is declared as prohibited by the Shariah.

• The Fatwa Committee is of the opinion that revocable insurance nomination is the same as CPF nomination, and both are accepted as valid forms of hibah.
• The Fatwa Committee further advises the Muslim community against making a nomination with the intention of causing injustice towards beneficiaries. At the same time, every Muslim is responsible to ensure that all the debts of a deceased Muslim are settled before using any of his/her monies that he/she leaves behind, whether by way of Faraidh, will or nomination. 

والله أعلم ، وبالله التوفيق ، وصلى الله على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلّم. 

DR MOHAMED FATRIS BAKARAM

MUFTI OF REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE

CHAIRMAN, FATWA COMMITTEE

ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS COUNCIL OF SINGAPORE

1   Revocable Nomination : It is a form of nomination where the policy holder still retain full rights to amend or revoke the nomination, All life benefits will be payable to him/her, and only death benefits are payable to the nominee(s). 

  Irrevocable Nomination : Is is a form of nomination where the policy holder loses all rights over the payouts of the policy, because all benefits are payable to the nominee(s). If a policy holder wishes to revoke or amend the nomination, he/she requires consent from each nominee or a trustee. (Please refer to Insurance Act, 49L & 49M).

2 Section 111(1) of AMLA is as follows: 

111. —(1) Notwithstanding anything in the provisions of the English law or in any other written law, no Muslim domiciled in Singapore shall, after 1st July 1968, dispose of his property by will, or by any nomination under section 49M(2) of the Insurance Act (Cap. 142) , except in accordance with the provisions of and subject to the restrictions imposed by the school of Muslim law professed by him.

3 Among Muslim scholars who view insurance as permissible are Dr. Mustafa Zarqa’, Dr. Ali Jumaah, the Mufti or Egypt and House of Fatwa of Egypt (Dar Al-Ifta’ Al-Misriyah)

4 Syubhah : Dubious nature of the Shariah compliancy of a transaction

5 Gharar : Uncertainty which could lead to the prohibition of a transaction. 

6 Among Muslim scholars who prohibit all forms of insurance are Sheikh Ibn Abidin Al-Hanafi, Sheikh Jadal Haq Ali Jadal Haq, and the Fiqh Academy for the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). 

7   Hibah : A form of life-time gift ( inter -vivos) with no expectation of anything in return. 

8   Qabadh : Delivery and physical acceptance of a gift.

9 Ibn Qayim al-Jauziyy, I’lam al-Muwaqqi’in , Beirut, Dar al-Jil, 1973, vol 1, pg 470; al-Shatibi, al-Muwafaqat , Beirut, Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyah, 1st Print, 1425H- 2004, pg 399.

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Takaful insurance: definition, concept and functioning of the Islamic insurance

Its existence is closely linked to the recent development of the Islamic financial institutions whose birth dates back to the 1970s through the impetus given by the Islamic Conference Organisation which has brought out the economic precepts of Islam.

The expansion of the Islamic financial system and the birth of Takaful insurance

With oil prices skyrocketing, and the rise in power of producing countries, the 1974 oil shock did trigger the emergence of a new generation of financial institutions keeping with the rules of Islam.

The first institution to see the light of day, the Islamic Development Bank, whose headquarter is in Jeddah, (Saudi Arabia), inaugurated a mutual assistance scheme based on solidarity. It was followed by the Dubai Islamic Bank in 1975 then in 1979 by the overall islamization of Pakistan's banking system. The plan, then, spreads to Iran and Sudan which created the first Islamic insurance company in 1979: the Islamic Insurance Company of Sudan.

Ever since, the trend has continued to gather momentum in its home ground the Middle East countries (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates) and South East Asia (Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia) spreading even further to African countries and Western Europe where numerous Muslim migrant and non-migrant communities got established.

Takaful insurance: definition and foundations

Takaful insurance is essentially distinguished from conventional insurance by the fact that premiums are regarded as “contributions” to a mutual fund established with a view to sharing out occurrence risk of an unfavorable event affecting a member of the group.

Takaful stems from the Arabic word “Kafalah” which refers to an agreement of mutual assistance and of solidarity among the members of a community in case of loss or damage suffered by one of the members. Takaful is, therefore, a mutual guarantee.

Basically, the system of Islamic finance rests on four key principles:

• risk sharing between contract parties,
• materiality: any transaction must be aimed at a “material target”, related directly or indirectly to the real economic transaction,
• non-exploitation: any transaction must be aimed at a “material target”, related directly or indirectly to the real economic transaction,
• the ban on any move designed to financing “haram” or illicit activities in connection with alcoholic drinks, pork, pornography and gambling.

The only investments allowed by religious law are those whose remuneration results from fate sharing between investors and beneficiaries. These principles stem from the prohibition by religious law of three practices:

• the Riba: literally meaning increase, addition. In fact, it refers to lending at usurious rates of interest for money borrowed or deposited in a bank account
• the Gharar: the sale of a non-owned property
• the Maysir: game of chance, speculation

Takaful insurance: working principles

The takaful system operates on the basis of the separation of two entities: the affiliates or insured and the fund manager or capital contributor.

The affiliates' fund

According to the Takaful system, the insured person, the affiliate, pays a contribution. In return, the fund members, the other affiliates accept to provide a collective support for the risk.

It is the affiliates' fund that collects premiums and disburses claims. At the close of the year, the surplus, which is not retained as technical provisions, is disbursed to the affiliates or paid in the form of “Zakat” (an Islamic tax, one of the five pillars of Islam) to a charity.

The fund manager

It is the fund manager who contributes to the capital required for the company's creation and solvency. The fund's possible deficit is bailed out by the manager.

The remuneration of the fund manager may be achieved in two ways:

• the Wakala that may be likened to an agency contract. The manager receives a fixed sum in advance in order to run the fund (This sum is deducted from the premiums collected by the fund).
• the Moudharaba which is an association of the fund manager to the profits reported by the fund.

The emergence of Islamic and Takaful insurance

Insurance density and penetration rate in these countries remained low due to two major reasons: one economic and the other religious.

Insurance is still in an embryonic state given the recent economic development at the level of investment as well as that of institutions, legislation, training …

At the religious level, the society has a negative idea of insurance that carries some elements of uncertainty (Gharar), gambling (Maysir) and interests (Riba), which are not accepted by Islamic law.

In the face of the challenges pertaining to modern economic development and to social and political mutations, Islamic countries have, through the Islamic Conference Organisation (ICO), called upon legal experts and theologians to make legislation on insurance accountancy operations in relation with religious law. The updated concept of Takaful came up with a compromise that overcomes the discrepancy between what is licit (hallal) and what is not (haram).

In all the countries where the system is in force, it is submitted to the oversight of an advisory committee made up of specialists whose task is to verify the compliance of the practices with Sharia. For Muslim legal experts, insurance is acceptable as long as it operates in the pattern of a cooperative.

Takaful Insurance: A market with great potential

While the geographic distribution of Takaful insurance remains largely confined to the Muslim countries, investment in western countries with large Muslim communities should, soon, speed up the trend. Already, some European and American financial institutions are dedicating specific counters to it.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) attributes the success of Takaful insurance to the growing demand by a high number of Muslim countries, to the rising oil wealth in the Gulf countries, to the attractive nature of Islamic financial services for non-Muslim investors seeking “ethical” investments.

About 250 Takaful insurance companies operating in about 75 countries are currently listed. The Takaful direct insurance has been accompanied by a reinsurance labelled Retakaful. Standing among the pioneers of the Islamic reinsurance, the company Best Re, founded in 1985, has been the driving force behind the creation of several Takaful insurance companies in Senegal, Egypt, Lebanon and Algeria.

The world's biggest insurers and reinsurers are among the new kids on the block who are positioned on the Takaful and Retakaful market:

• In October 2005, ARIG created Takaful Re based in Dubai
• The Lloyd's syndicates got positioned on the market in 2005
• In 2006, Hannover Re has opened up a specific Retakaful entity in Bahrain
• Allianz was equally established in 2006 in Bahrain to develop the Takaful niche
• In 2007, SCOR has applied for a Retakaful license in Malaysia
• Munich Re has announced at the end of September 2007 the marketing of Retakaful products in South East Asia through its subsidiary of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

According to a survey conducted by the international rating agency Moody's and published in 2006, the total turnover, valued at 2.30 billion USD in 2005, is likely to rise to 7.7 billion USD in 2015. The turnover breaks down as follows:

• 2 billion USD of annual premiums in the Gulf countries
• 3.1 billion USD in Asia and Pacific 1.4 billion USD of which for Malaysia and Indonesia
• 2.6 billion USD for the markets of Europe, China, Turkey and USA.
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Israel’s war on Gaza live: Hamas studies Gaza proposal in ‘positive spirit’

Hamas says delegation set to visit Egypt soon for further ceasefire talks, adding that chief Ismail Haniyeh affirms the group’s ‘positive spirit in studying the ceasefire proposal’.

• Hamas says a delegation is set to visit Egypt soon for further talks, adding that chief Ismail Haniyeh affirms the group’s “positive spirit in studying the ceasefire proposal”.
• Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israeli attacks have killed 28 people and wounded 51 injured in the latest 24-hour reporting period.
• Palestinian armed groups have been attacking Israeli troops stationed at a main junction in central Gaza, where witnesses have reported extensive fire exchanges.
• At least 34,596 Palestinians have been killed and 77,816 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attacks stands at 1,139 with dozens of people still held captive.

Israel claims over 400 aid trucks entered Gaza coinciding with Blinken visit

The Israeli military says it allowed 406 trucks carrying 8,040 tonnes of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, when US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was visiting.

It also said it has allowed in a total of 26,746 trucks since the start of the war on Gaza, which has killed over 34,500 Palestinians so far, mostly women and children.

The Government Media Office in Gaza said on Wednesday that Israel allowed in an average of 163 aid trucks per day in April, which is below the 300 to 400 that Israel and the US have been touting, and much lower than the 1,000 daily trucks that it said starved Gazans need right now.

Just yesterday: 6,350 tons of food entered Gaza. That means close to 14 million pounds or 635,000 kilos of food in one day. These are the aid numbers since the start of the war 👇 See more here: https://t.co/mjOUmOnFjc pic.twitter.com/8ruu1aStH1 — COGAT (@cogatonline) May 2, 2024

Israeli man detained for trying to attack Netanyahu’s convoy: Report

Israeli broadcaster Channel 12, citing local police, reports that a 58-year-old man was detained after an incident involving the Israeli prime minister’s motorcade in Tel Aviv.

Few details are available at this time, but we will continue to update you on this incident.

Israel attacks UN chief for ‘inflaming hatred and pushing fake news’

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier this week said he’s “deeply alarmed” by reports of mass graves in Gaza where hundreds of Palestinian bodies were discovered.

With evidence some of the buried Palestinians were tortured , he called for an immediate independent investigation – something that wasn’t supported by Israel’s top backer, the United States.

Now, the Israeli foreign ministry says Guterres is “choosing to inflame hatred and push fake news” in a dangerous move.

. @antonioguterres Choosing to inflame hatred and push fake news in a volatile and tense situation is irresponsible and dangerous. The bodies you are referencing were buried by Palestinians. We searched for the bodies of Israeli hostages, examined the bodies and returned them… https://t.co/I68NdwPve5 — Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) May 2, 2024

Ultra-Orthodox Jews protest mandatory conscription

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has secured another two weeks of time to deal with the hot-button issue of mandatory conscription for ultra-Orthodox Jews, but they are continuing their protests in the meantime.

عشرات من اليهود المتدينين "حريديم" يقطعون الطريق رقم 4 قرب تل أبيب أمام الحركة المرورية احتجاجًا على قانون تجنيدهم الإجباري في الجيش #حرب_غزة #فيديو pic.twitter.com/zdTTN7F8Sa — الجزيرة فلسطين (@AJA_Palestine) May 2, 2024

Translation: Dozens of ultra-Orthodox Jews block Route 4 near Tel Aviv in front of traffic in protest against the law on their compulsory conscription into the army.

Five killed in Israeli strike on Bureij camp

Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that five people, including a child, were killed as a result of an Israeli air raid that hit a group of people in Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.

The agency says they were transferred to Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital in Deir el-Balah.

Some in Gaza ‘tasting fresh bread for the first time in six months’

Shaza Moghraby, a spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP), says humanitarian access to Gaza is improving relative to where it has been, but it’s still not enough.

Yesterday, the first aid trucks entered Gaza via the Beit Hanoon (Erez) border crossing in the north for the first time since October 7.

“We have seen improvements but we need the routes to be opened all the time,” she said.

According to Moghraby, WFP has been able to open four bakeries in northern Gaza where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are in dire need.

“So for the first time, people in the northern areas who were using extreme measures to make bread, using animal feed and bird seed to make bread, for the first time they are tasting fresh bread in six months.”

🗨️"We have seen improvements, but we need the routes to be opened all the time." @MerissaKhurma , Director at @WilsonCenterMEP . asked @Shazam999 , WFP spokesperson, what WFP needs to respond to the needs in #Gaza . 📺Watch full 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄➡️ https://t.co/XRhBcJTFpY pic.twitter.com/c5Y0oPPbkc — WFP Media (@WFP_Media) May 2, 2024

Israel’s foreign minister attacks Turkey’s Erdogan for blocking Israeli trade

The Israeli foreign minister has again attacked Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, this time for “blocking ports for Israeli imports and exports”.

“This is how a dictator behaves, disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen, and ignoring international trade agreements,” Israel Katz wrote in a post on X.

He said Israel is now looking for “alternatives” for its trade and will also rely on local production and imports from elsewhere.

. @RTErdogan is breaking agreements by blocking ports for Israeli imports and exports. This is how a dictator behaves, disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen, and ignoring international trade agreements. I have instructed the Director General of the… — ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) May 2, 2024

‘We will do whatever necessary to win, including in Rafah’: Netanyahu

As Hamas says it is looking at the latest Israeli ceasefire proposals in mediated talks with a “positive spirit”, the Israeli prime minister is doubling down on his promise to launch a ground invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza regardless.

“We will do whatever is necessary to win and overcome our enemies, including in Rafah,” Benjamin Netanyahu’s office quotes him as saying in a memorial ceremony for soldiers.

“There were differences of opinion among us about operations in near and distant arenas. But at the end of the discussion, I made a decision and the decision was accepted.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu, at the memorial ceremony for Etzel members who fell in the battle for Jaffa: "There were differences of opinion among us about operations in near and distant arenas. But at the end of the discussion, I made a decision and the decision was accepted. — Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 2, 2024

UNRWA shows extent of damage in Gaza

The UN’s Palestine refugee agency has shared a video on X documenting their joint mission to north Gaza with the World Food Programme to assess food distribution.

The video shows scenes of destruction in Gaza – craters on the side of the road, buildings with walls completely missing and roofs that are not intact, UNRWA employee Louise Wateridge explains in the video.

UNRWA has had 165 facilities damaged or destroyed in the war, “a huge problem when it comes to the humanitarian operation”.

"There's been significant damage during the war; bullet holes, walls missing, roofs not intact" @UNWateridge Critical @UNRWA & @WFP mission to expand food distribution in north #Gaza . Agencies working closely to avert famine through meaningful supply despite massive destruction. pic.twitter.com/khMHxOU7qH — UNRWA (@UNRWA) May 2, 2024

Editor’s Choice: What to read, watch and listen to right now

Over the past day, we’ve published several new pieces covering various aspects of the conflict.

Here are a few highlights:

• In-depth : Why Gaza student protests strike a chord
• Explainer : UCLA students arrested amid Gaza protests – all you need to know
• Analysis : Why would Israel and its allies fear the ICC?
• Podcast: Are Israeli officials under threat of ICC prosecution?
• Video: ‘This is not the end,’ says detained UCLA protester

And there’s plenty more here .

Haniyeh calls Qatari prime minister

Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of the Hamas movement, has spoken with the prime minister and foreign minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed Abdul Rahman Al Thani over a call, where they discussed the latest negotiations regarding “stopping the aggression against our Palestinian people”, according to a Hamas statement.

“Haniyeh appreciated the role played by Qatar in mediation, and stressed the positive spirit of the movement in studying the ceasefire proposal that it recently received,” the statement said.

“The two parties agreed to complete the ongoing discussions with the aim of maturing an agreement mediated by Qatar and Egypt in a way that achieves the demands of our people and stops the aggression against them.”

Earlier, Hamas said a delegation is set to visit Egypt soon for further ceasefire talks.

WATCH: ‘This is Khan Younis. It’s just decimated’

A team of doctors from the Islamic Medical Association of North America have documented their trip to Gaza.

Watch the video below:

White House says Gaza pier to open in days

A maritime pier constructed by the US military to speed the flow of humanitarian aid in Gaza should be open within a matter of days, despite poor weather that is hampering preparations, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby has said.

“We were hoping within days. I think that’s still a hope,” Kirby said at a news briefing.

Two Palestinian detainees from Gaza die in Israeli prisons: Prisoner’s Society

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society says that one of the detainees who died was Dr Adnan al-Barash, the head of the orthopaedic department at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the largest medical complex in the besieged and bombarded territory.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied territories, said she was “extremely alarmed” by the information and urged the diplomatic community to intervene with concrete measures to protect Palestinians.

“No Palestinian is safe under Israel’s occupation today,” she wrote on X.

Hamas praises Colombia’s decision to break relations with Israel

The group says Colombia’s move is a recognition of the suffering of Palestinian people.

In a statement, Hamas also called on other Latin American countries to cut diplomatic relations with Israel, which it described as “a rogue and fascist entity that is continuing its crimes against our people”.

Historically, Colombia was one of Israel’s closest partners in Latin America. But relations between the two countries cooled since Gustavo Petro was elected president in 2022.

The leftist leader announced his government would break diplomatic relations with Israel effective Thursday, describing Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” and comparing them to Nazi Germany. He had previously suspended purchases of weapons from Israel.

Hamas said it valued Petro’s stance highly.

Here’s the Hamas statement in full

As we reported earlier, Hamas has said it will send a delegation to Egypt for further talks.

Below is the group’s full statement:

“The head of the Hamas movement, the Mujahid Ismail Haniyeh, made a phone call with the Egyptian Minister of Intelligence, Major General Abbas Kamel, regarding negotiations to stop the aggression against our people.

“The head of the movement appreciated the role played by Egypt, and stressed the positive spirit of the movement in studying the ceasefire proposal.

“The head of the movement confirmed to Minister Abbas Kamel that the movement’s negotiating delegation would come to Egypt as soon as possible to complete the ongoing discussions with the aim of maturing an agreement that fulfills the demands of our people and stops the aggression.”

It will take until at least 2040 to repair destroyed homes in Gaza, UN says

If the war in Gaza stopped today, it would still take until 2040 to rebuild all the homes destroyed in Israel’s bombardment and ground offensives, according to UN estimates.

“Every additional day that this war continues is exacting huge and compounding costs to Gazans and all Palestinians,” said UN Development Programme Administrator Achim Steiner.

At least 370,000 housing units in Gaza have been damaged, including 79,000 destroyed completely, according to a new report by the UNDP and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.

After previous wars on Gaza, housing was rebuilt at a rate of 992 units year. Even if Israel allows a five-fold increase of construction material to enter Gaza, it would take until 2040 to rebuild the destroyed houses, without repairing the damaged ones, the report said.

UN estimates rebuilding Gaza will cost $30bn to $40bn

A UN agency says rebuilding war-wracked Gaza will cost an estimated $30bn to $40bn and require an effort on a scale the world has not seen since World War II.

“The United Nations Development Programme’s initial estimates for the reconstruction of … the Gaza Strip surpasses $30bn and could reach up to $40bn,” Abdallah al-Dardari, UN assistant secretary-general, said.

“The scale of the destruction is huge and unprecedented … this is a mission that the global community has not dealt with since World War II.”

If you’re just joining us

Here’s a recap of the latest developments in the past few hours:

• A delegation from Hamas is set to visit Egypt soon for further ceasefire talks, a statement by the group says.
• After several hours of standoff, police have moved in on the UCLA campus to clear a pro-Palestine encampment.
• In advance of tomorrow’s World Press Freedom Day, Gaza’s Government Media Office has called for the protection of journalists, noting the 141 journalists killed in Gaza by Israeli forces.
• Iran has announced sanctions on several US and British individuals and entities for supporting Israel in its war on Gaza.

Hamas delegation to visit Egypt soon for further ceasefire talks: Statement

Hamas says a delegation is set to visit Egypt soon for further ceasefire talks.

In a statement, it added that Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh affirmed the group’s “positive spirit in studying the ceasefire proposal”.

Hamas said on Saturday it had received Israel’s latest position and would study it before submitting a reply.

Palestinian embassy seeks temporary status for those who entered Egypt

The Palestinian embassy in Egypt is seeking temporary residency permits for tens of thousands of people who have arrived from Gaza during the war, which it says would ease conditions for them until the conflict is over.

Diab al-Louh, the Palestinian ambassador in Cairo, said as many as 100,000 Palestinians had crossed into Egypt, where they lack the papers to enrol their children in schools, open businesses or bank accounts, travel, or access health insurance – though some have found ways to make a living.

Al-Louh stressed that residency permits would only be for legal and humanitarian purposes, adding that those who arrived since the war began on October 7 had no plans to settle in Egypt.

“We are talking about a category [of people] in an exceptional situation. We asked the state to give them temporary residencies that can be renewed until the crisis in Gaza is over,” al-Louh told the Reuters news agency in an interview.

Israelis warned against traveling to Malmo, Sweden for Eurovision

The National Security Headquarters has tightened its travel warning for Israelis travelling to Malmo, Sweden, for the Eurovision singing contest  taking place next week.

The warning for Malmo was changed from level 2 (occasional threat) to level 3 (moderate threat), and advised Israelis to consider the trip’s necessity, Israeli media reported.

Israeli daily Maariv noted that Malmo is “known as a centre for anti-Israeli protests” and has a high population of immigrants from Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran.

Government Media Office calls for protection of journalists in Gaza

Ahead of tomorrow’s World Press Freedom Day, Gaza’s Government Media Office has called for the protection of journalists and their right “to freely express and disseminate information and facts” without being killed, targeted or arrested.

It noted in a statement that Israeli forces have so far killed 141 journalists in Gaza since the start of the war and wounded more than 70.

“We condemn in the strongest terms the crimes and massacres carried out by the occupation army against journalists in all the Palestinian territories, especially in the Gaza Strip,” it said.

Police clear UCLA camp: Here’s a recap

• Officers in riot gear have used flashbangs, removed barricades and arrested a number of protesters.
• Protesters have chanted slogans such as “This is a peaceful protest” and “Shame on you” as police advanced.
• A few dozen protesters remain currently at the campus, out of an initial 400, a witness has told Al Jazeera.

Follow our live coverage of the protests here .

First baby born at al-Amal Hospital since reopening of maternity ward

Muhammad Luay Al-Raqab is the first baby to be born at al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, following the reopening of its maternity ward, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said on X.

The baby Muhammad Luay Al-Raqab is the first birth case after the reopening of the maternity ward at the PRCS Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis. #AlAmalHospital #Gaza pic.twitter.com/EegpSwKMkG — PRCS (@PalestineRCS) May 2, 2024