tightens

It seems bizarre to say now given his dominant position, but there was a spell on Friday where you felt McIlroy was still not playing close to his best.

When McIlroy bogeyed the 10th, he dropped back alongside 2018 champion Reed on six under and his untidiness meant it was all to play for.

Some drives were being sprayed, some approaches were not as precise as they should have been.

At the end of his round, the statistics showed McIlroy ranked 90th in the 91-man field for accuracy off the tee.

Ultimately, it didn’t matter. His exceptional short game held his round together and when things did click into place on the tees and fairways, he motored through the back half in fabulous fashion.

After winning last year, there is not a melodrama every time he makes a bad shot. McIlroy has learned how to be patient around Augusta.

That seems to spell bad news for the rest of a leaderboard stacked with Green Jacket wearers, major title holders and Ryder Cup stars.

Staying even-tempered at the most famously punishing golf course in the world is a trait which two of the big names chasing McIlroy also recognise is necessary to succeed there.

Three-time runner-up Justin Rose, who is tied fourth, is targeting his own redemptive win after losing to McIlroy in last year’s sudden-death play-off and credits his own patience for his back-nine climb up the leaderboard on Friday.

“Early on things were tough out there. But I settled down and built the round back up,” said Rose, who is seven behind McIlroy after a three-under 69 on Friday.

“It’s a continuation of being on the leaderboard from last year and keeping the dream alive. I need to keep it as free as I can.”

Ireland’s Shane Lowry, who had a run of 14 successive pars, joined English pair – and victorious Ryder Cup team-mates – Rose and Tommy Fleetwood on five under par after two birdies in the final three holes.

“I was hitting good shots and just wasn’t converting but I was patient out there,” said Lowry, whose sole major win came at the 2023 Open.

But there is another contender, also from that European band of brothers, who has not yet learned how to stay calm at Augusta.

Tyrrell Hatton might have to learn quickly if he is going to push McIlroy.

The 30-year-old Englishman knocked in seven birdies on the way to a six-under par 66, seemingly carding the round of the day only to be matched by McIlroy.

“I definitely don’t stay calmer or more patient this week. If anything, I am probably more on edge,” said Hatton.

“I will just take each shot as it comes and see what we end up with.”

As attention shifts to the Iran war, tighter restrictions on Gaza are driving shortages, price hikes and growing suffering, turning a time of celebration into one of anxiety for millions.

While the world’s attention is fixed on the Iran war, Israel has quietly tightened its chokehold on Gaza, further restricting the flow of goods and aid. As Eid al-Fitr begins, a time meant to be marked by joy and family gatherings, millions in Gaza are struggling under deepening shortages and rising hardship. What should be a moment of celebration has instead become one of anxiety, as the worsening crisis strips Eid of even its simplest pleasures.

The economic crisis is not merely a case of ordinary inflation or a temporary shortage of goods, but the result of a complex interplay between the Israeli occupation, local market dynamics, and broader regional and international strategies. Israel has repeatedly taken advantage of external tensions, such as those involving Iran or Lebanon, to justify tightening restrictions on the movement of goods through crossings while intensifying military pressure on Gaza. This leaves residents directly exposed to soaring prices and shortages of essential commodities.

Even when goods are available in the markets, some traders have taken advantage of the crisis to make excessive profits by raising prices unjustifiably. Tomatoes, for example, which used to be 3 shekels ($0.97) before the recent events, now cost 20 shekels ($6.48). Essential canned goods have increased at similar rates. Cooking gas now costs 80 shekels ($25.92) for an 8kg cylinder, meaning that a family may need about 640 shekels ($207.37) per month just to secure cooking gas. Electricity prices have also increased from 18 shekels ($5.83) per unit to 25 shekels ($8.10), while the cost of living for families who often rely on alternatives such as kerosene stoves (babur) for cooking instead of wood has risen sharply.

Price hikes do not stop here. Meat has become prohibitively expensive, essential medicines are increasingly inaccessible at reasonable prices, and even the simplest Eid traditions are now out of reach for many. This price manipulation reflects how some traders exploit the economic fragility and psychological pressure faced by residents, intensifying feelings of injustice and frustration among the population.

The ongoing war, repeated violations of ceasefire arrangements, and Israel’s broader strategy of using external conflicts as justification for military pressure have turned the narrative of “continuous security threats from Gaza” into a recurring pretext for closing crossings or using them as a tool of control. In this way, Gaza has increasingly become entangled in wider regional tensions and military calculations.

Under these circumstances, Eid al-Fitr in Gaza has become a symbol of daily hardship. Families are forced to choose between basic necessities and the traditions of the holiday. Meat, vegetables and cooking gas have become luxuries for many, while the majority struggle simply to secure the essentials of daily life.

Even when supplies exist, the monopolisation of goods and unjustified price hikes make the local market fragile and expose the weakness of Gaza’s economic structure. Every attempt to stabilise prices or increase supply faces strict restrictions linked to the blockade, creating opportunities for traders to secure quick profits at the expense of ordinary civilians.

In the end, Gaza’s crisis is not merely an economic issue; it reflects a complex intersection of occupation, blockade, commercial exploitation, and regional and international policies that have left the territory marginalised.

Eid al-Fitr, once a symbol of joy, has become a reminder of a lost celebration, but also a call for the international community to take meaningful action: to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid, protect civilians from exploitation and prevent human suffering from being turned into an opportunity for profit.