Dubai's opulent, multimillion-pound New Year's Eve celebrations have been cancelled due to the Gaza violence, leaving hordes of expatriates hastily making alternative plans.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of the Gulf state, called off festivities late last night.

He said "all public New Year’s celebrations" should be stopped "in solidarity with the Palestinian people, who are currently enduring death, suffering and destruction in Gaza".

The city, home to thousands of Western expatriate businesspeople and tourists, usually holds spectacular public firework displays and open-air entertainments worth millions.

British and other foreigners living in the city were today planning alternative celebrations. Hotels were said to be holding revised indoor entertainments, but any outdoor elements would be called off.

A spokesman for the five-star Le Meridien hotel, which is known for all-you-can-drink champagne brunches, said: "Normally we have outdoor entertainment but this year it will be just indoors."

A spokesman for the four-star Arabian Courtyard said there would be no music or dancing to ring in the New Year, although the hotel’s restaurants and bars would stay open.

Kelly Frost and Lisa Welsh, 28-year-old Britons who both live in Dubai, had planned to attend a party at an Irish pub but this has now been cancelled.

"The only alternative is to have a party indoors," said Miss Frost, a sales, marketing and events coordinator from Cardiff who emigrated to Dubai with her parents at the age of three.

"I think people are just gutted they’re not able to celebrate New Year as they would’ve done.

"Facebook is awash with people saying: ’What are you doing tonight?’. Sometimes being spontaneous is the best way to be.

"At this rate, we probably won’t know what we’re doing until ten to midnight."

Miss Welsh, a public relations executive who moved to Dubai from Liverpool two-and-a-half years ago, said: "Expats are aware of the situation and are up-to-date with what’s happening in Gaza and are sympathetic about the situation.

"But the New Year is something we can’t stop happening. I think everyone is a bit stuffed about what to do. You feel a little bit bad if you do go out and celebrate.

"I think we’re just going to stay in or maybe find a house party."

Dubai's celebrations were the best known internationally among a host of Arab events to be cancelled in solidarity with Palestinians caught up in the Hamas-Israeli fighting.

Egypt cancelled official events, including a special concert by famed Egyptian singer Mohammed Munir set to be held at Cairo’s Opera House and a variety performance hosted by the ministry of information due to be broadcast on state television.

Syria and Jordan also called off celebrations, with Syria's capital Damascus set to host a concert by singer Sabah Fakhri in a hotel.

A concert by Colombian star Shakira in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, however, is still scheduled to go ahead. Events at hotels in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, were also set to proceed as planned.

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