Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
World Health Organisation doctors in Gaza have said the remaining operational hospitals in Rafah are making contingency plans for an expected Israeli military incursion, but warned they would not be able to cope.
“Of course, we are working with our partners in Rafah, the remaining three hospitals, to prepare for when the Israeli military operation takes place but I reiterate that even if the contingency plans are in place, they are nowhere sufficient enough for the level of catastrophe we expect,” Dr Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the Palestinian territories who is currently in Gaza, said on Wednesday.
The Israeli military says it wants to flush out Hamas fighters from hideouts in Rafah and free hostages seized when the militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, but has given no details of a proposed plan to evacuate civilians.
The war between Israel and Hamas, now in its fifth month, has devastated Gaza's health system. Fewer than half of its hospitals are even partially functioning as scores of people are killed and wounded in daily bombardment and ground operations. Israel accuses the militants of using hospitals and other civilian buildings as cover.
Palestinians began evacuating the main hospital in Khan Younis, north of Rafah, on Wednesday, after being trapped inside for weeks by heavy fighting that also killed several people inside the medical facility.
Khan Younis was the most recent target of Israel's rolling ground offensive that it said would be expanded to Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city on the border with Egypt. Rafah's population has expanded to about 1.4 million as people fled there, seeking refuge from bombardment and fighting in other parts of the territory.
Dr Peeperkorn, speaking in an online briefing, said any new wave of displacement would “wreak havoc” on the population.
“It would only increase the burden on the under-capacitated health system on its knees and push the system to the brink of collapse. In Rafah, only three relatively small hospitals are operational. They are not sufficient to support the continuing cases we’re seeing,” he said.
“[Abu Yousef] Al Najjar Hospital is supposed to be a primary clinic facility but was forced to operate at a larger capacity. Lots of patients are refusing to be discharged because they have nowhere else to go. They are afraid if a military operation does happen, it will come in their direction.
“It’s not about direct military targets on the hospital, but even military operations near the hospital that is worrisome,” he said.
Dr Athanasios Gargavanis, a trauma surgeon and emergency officer for the UN health agency, said a ceasefire was needed immediately so that “health workers are able to deliver at the best of their capacities”.
“We are here to support the health system that’s suffering, not only because of the chronic blockade and this actual war but also from the movement of the population that impedes health workers to do their work in the best possible way,” Dr Gargavanis said.
He said that at least 9,000 patients in Rafah need urgent medical evacuation, 6,000 of whom have been injured as a direct result of the war with many cases of severe burns and amputations that have become infected due to lack of medical resources.
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A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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RESULTS
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TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
John Cena v Triple H
Matches to be announced
WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship, United States Championship and the Cruiserweight Championship are all due to be defended
'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
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