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RIYADH: ����ֱ��’s point-of-sale transactions climbed 17.8 percent to SR15.79 billion ($4.21 billion), the largest increase in three weeks, as consumer spending accelerated across most sectors in a sign of robust economic momentum. 

The number of transactions rose 11.2 percent to SR237 million in the week ended Aug. 30, according to data from the Saudi Central Bank. 

The strong spending reflects sustained consumer confidence and the ongoing shift toward digital payments, supported by the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 reform initiative. 

The food and beverage sector remained the largest spending category, rising 29.4 percent to SR2.30 billion. Restaurant and cafe spending increased by 9.9 percent to SR1.70 billion. 

In contrast, POS spending in the hotel sector declined by 6.5 percent to SR254 million. 

Transportation sector activity grew 16.9 percent to SR1.13 billion, while expenditure on professional and business services climbed 18.8 percent to SR1.10 billion. 

Spending on apparel, clothing, and accessories increased by 16.3 percent to SR1.18 billion. Meanwhile, education-related transactions reached SR1.10 billion, and spending at gas stations totaled SR1.08 billion. 

The strong performance aligns with ����ֱ��’s non-oil private sector expansion, which remained firmly in growth territory according to the latest Purchasing Managers’ Index. This consistent consumer activity underscores the success of economic diversification efforts away from hydrocarbon dependence. 

Riyadh dominated POS transactions, with expenses in the capital reaching SR5.47 billion, a 11.7 percent increase compared to the previous week. 

Jeddah followed with a 24.1 percent increase to SR2.19 billion, and Dammam ranked third at SR771.70 million, up 14.7 percent. 

Spending in Madinah rose 27.1 percent to SR624.30 million, while Makkah reached SR610.99 million. Al-Khobar recorded SR441.49 million, followed by Buraidah with SR378.78 million, and Abha at SR221.03 million. 

The widespread adoption of digital payment platforms, combined with rising disposable incomes and a growing youth population, continues to fuel the transformation. 

The data suggests consumer confidence remains resilient despite global economic uncertainties, providing crucial support to the Kingdom’s broader economic transformation agenda. 

REUTERS: The Israeli military moved deeper into Gaza City on Wednesday, with soldiers and tanks pushing into Sheikh Radwan, one of the urban center’s largest and most crowded neighborhoods.
In recent weeks, Israeli forces have advanced through Gaza City’s outer suburbs and are now just a few kilometers from the city center despite international calls to halt the offensive.
Gaza City residents said the military had destroyed homes and tent encampments that had housed Palestinians displaced by nearly two years of war. At least 24 Palestinians, some of them children, were killed by the military across Gaza on Wednesday, most of them in Gaza City, according to local health officials.
“Sheikh Radwan is being burnt upside-down. The occupation destroyed houses, burnt tents, and drones played audio messages ordering people to leave the area,” said Zakeya Sami, 60, a mother of five, referring to the Israeli military.
“If the takeover of Gaza City isn’t stopped, we might die, and we are not going to forgive anyone who stands and watches without doing anything to prevent our death,” she told Reuters.
The military dropped grenades on three schools in the Sheikh Radwan area that had been used to shelter displaced Palestinians, setting tents ablaze, according to residents, who said the Palestinians fled before the bombing.
The military also detonated armored vehicles laden with explosives to destroy homes in Sheikh Radwan’s east and bombed a medical clinic, destroying two ambulances, according to witnesses.
The Israeli military said in a statement on Wednesday it would continue to operate against “terrorists organizations” in Gaza and to “remove any threat” posed to the State of Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to take the city, which he describes as the last stronghold of Hamas, whose October 2023 attack on Israel ignited the war.
Netanyahu insists that Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades but now only controls parts of the territory, must be defeated if it will not lay down its arms and surrender.
Israel’s military has urged the country’s political leadership to instead reach a ceasefire agreement, warning that the assault would endanger hostages held in Gaza and soldiers carrying out the offensive, Israeli officials previously said.
In Israel, public sentiment is largely in favor of ending the war in a deal that would see the release of the remaining hostages. In Jerusalem on Wednesday, protesters climbed the roof of Israel’s national library, displaying a banner that read ‘You have abandoned and also killed’.
MASS DISPLACEMENT
“We need our soldiers back home. We need our hostages back home now. It’s been too long for them to stay there. Stop the war now,” said Ravid Vexelbaum, 50, from Tel Aviv.
Tens of thousands of reservists reported for duty on Tuesday to support the offensive, forces that a military official told reporters last month were mostly expected to take on non-combat roles, such as in intelligence, or take over from combat soldiers in places like the West Bank who could then be deployed to Gaza.
The attack on Gaza City threatens to displace one million Palestinians, almost half the population of Gaza. The Israeli military in recent weeks has ordered the civilian population to leave their homes, although there are reports that many families who have already been displaced are refusing.
Over 63,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since the war started in October 2023, according to local health officials. The war has caused a humanitarian crisis across the territory, with health officials in Gaza reporting that 367 people, including 131 children, have so far died of malnutrition and starvation caused by acute food shortages.
Israeli officials acknowledge there is hunger in parts of Gaza but reject assertions of famine or starvation.
Hamas has offered to release some hostages, living and deceased, in exchange for a temporary ceasefire that Israel has yet to formally respond to. Hamas has also offered to release all hostages in exchange for an immediate end to the war and withdrawal by Israeli officials but has refused to lay down its arms.