Live updates: follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Hepatitis A cases are soaring in overcrowded camps in Gaza, where the UN warns overcrowding is so severe that hundreds have to share sanitation facilities, making it impossible to control the disease.
Ruba Abu Al Khaeer spends most of her time visiting the clinic, seeking treatment for her son, 14, who contracted Hepatitis while living in a UNRWA shelter. The disease attacks the liver and can cause months of illness, but the elderly and people with underlying health conditions are most at risk.
“My son, Mohammed, was healthy, but suddenly he started to suffer from fever, nausea, and vomiting,” Ruba told The National.
Ruba believed her son was experiencing a gastrointestinal infection, common in shelters due to unclean water, improperly cooked food, and exposure to pollution.
Ruba, along with her family, currently resides in one of the UNRWA schools in Deir Al Balah in the centre of Gaza in a small classroom after fleeing from Jabilia. The area was already home to hundreds of thousands of displaced people, even before the current devastating war.
“I started giving him medication for intestinal cleansing, but other symptoms started to appear, such as yellowing of his eyes,” she added. “So, I feel worried as I know that yellowing is one of the Hepatitis symptoms.”
Ruba, a science teacher and mother of four – two boys and two girls- took Mohammed to a clinic where a doctor examined him and confirmed he had Hepatitis A.
Fearing for her son, Ruba was unsure of what to do when the doctor advised her to maintain cleanliness in the area where Mohammed stays. It’s an almost impossible task: like so many in Gaza, she lives with 40 other family members in the same classroom, with nowhere else to shelter.
Sanitation is barely existent in the camps, with human waste and trash an unmanageable problem with so many people nearby, amid acute water shortages.
Throughout the war, local and international health organisations have warned of the spread of epidemics among the displaced due to the unavailability of water.
“We are living in unhealthy conditions. My father passed away in this shelter due to the lack of cleanliness. What should I do? Should I wait for my son's health to deteriorate further?” Ruba says.
Dr Bahaa Al Aloul, who works at the UNRWA clinic in Dier Al Balah in the south of Gaza, is monitoring Mohammed's case said the primary reason for Hepatitis in the area is unclean water and overcrowded shelters.
“The main reason for the spread of Hepatitis in the Gaza Strip is the overcrowding in shelters, where unclean bathrooms and a large number of people using the same facilities contributes to the problem,” Dr Al Aloul told The National.
“Additionally, cooking food in the same room where there is crowding has caused the disease to spread.”
Dr Al Aloul emphasised the importance for Hepatitis patients to stay in a clean environment. “Unfortunately, shelters have become an environment that spreads the disease in Gaza due to overcrowding, especially when sewage sometimes overflows in these small camps and shelters.”
“The only medication I have here is for reducing fever, but Hepatitis patients need vitamins to strengthen the immune system, which, unfortunately, is not available at the clinic,” he said.
Nowhere to stay
Bissan Al Khateeb was staying in a municipal building packed with other refugees in Khan Younis after being forced to flee to Rafah with her children.
“We are forced to leave, we didn’t get the chance to take our blanket and warm clothes, I was holding my baby girl so can’t carry anything else” Bissan told The National.
“We reached Rafah, but we can’t find a place to stay in it, all the places are occupied and to buy a tent is so expensive, I am staying now with my friend in her tent till we figure out what to do," she added.
“It is cold and don’t know how to warm my children, what should we do, we are human being, all what we are seeking for is to live in dignity” she continued.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced earlier this month that “the spread of Hepatitis A, is a result of overcrowding and low hygiene levels in displacement areas in the Gaza Strip”.
According to the Health Ministry, more than half a million Gazans, or around a quarter of the population in the enclave, fell ill with dangerous diseases between the end of October and January 8th, with more than 8,000 Hepatitis A infections, including 6,723 cases in children.
About 235,000 people contracted pneumonia and at least 300,000 fell ill with diarrhoea from contaminated water, which can kill the vulnerable through dehydration, and skin conditions.
According to the UN, about 3,000 people fall ill with diarrhoea daily, a rise of 2,000 per cent compared to prewar cases.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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MOST%20POLLUTED%20COUNTRIES%20IN%20THE%20WORLD
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Spec%20sheet
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Brighton 1
Gross (50' pen)
Tottenham 1
Kane (48)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
South Africa 66 (Tries: De Allende, Nkosi, Reinach (3), Gelant, Steyn, Brits, Willemse; Cons: Jantjies 8)
Canada 7 (Tries: Heaton; Cons: Nelson)
GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Cashew%0D%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202020%0D%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Ibtissam%20Ouassif%20and%20Ammar%20Afif%0D%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3EIndustry%3A%20FinTech%0D%3Cbr%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%2410m%0D%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Mashreq%2C%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
More on Quran memorisation:
More on Quran memorisation:
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Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday Stuttgart v Cologne (Kick-off 10.30pm UAE)
Saturday RB Leipzig v Hertha Berlin (5.30pm)
Mainz v Borussia Monchengladbach (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Union Berlin v SC Freiburg (5.30pm)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (5.30pm)
Sunday Wolfsburg v Arminia (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Hoffenheim (9pm)
Bayer Leverkusen v Augsburg (11.30pm)
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMascotte%20Health%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMiami%2C%20US%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bora%20Hamamcioglu%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOnline%20veterinary%20service%20provider%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.2%20million%20raised%20in%20seed%20funding%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
Poland Statement
All people fleeing from Ukraine before the armed conflict are allowed to enter Poland. Our country shelters every person whose life is in danger - regardless of their nationality.
The dominant group of refugees in Poland are citizens of Ukraine, but among the people checked by the Border Guard are also citizens of the USA, Nigeria, India, Georgia and other countries.
All persons admitted to Poland are verified by the Border Guard. In relation to those who are in doubt, e.g. do not have documents, Border Guard officers apply appropriate checking procedures.
No person who has received refuge in Poland will be sent back to a country torn by war.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
