Palestinians past destroyed buildings in Gaza city's Shujaiya neighbourhood in October. AFP
Palestinians past destroyed buildings in Gaza city's Shujaiya neighbourhood in October. AFP
Palestinians past destroyed buildings in Gaza city's Shujaiya neighbourhood in October. AFP
Palestinians past destroyed buildings in Gaza city's Shujaiya neighbourhood in October. AFP

Hundreds displaced from Gaza city neighbourhood after Israeli eviction order


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Hundreds of Palestinians were forced to flee Gaza city's Shujaiya neighbourhood on Saturday after the Israeli army issued a displacement order for the area, the first to hit the city in some time.

The army ordered residents of the eastern neighbourhood to flee to central and southern parts of the city before Israeli shelling on the area.

The official Wafa news agency published images of civilians fleeing through streets already largely destroyed in Israeli attacks, carrying only blankets and basic belongings through the remains of bombed-out buildings.

Many were forced to flee in the dark, with residents sharing video footage of women and children using phone torches to escape.

While Israel has maintained a siege on northern Gaza, this is the first eviction order issued for the Gaza city area in several weeks. The Israeli military says it is targeting members of the militant group Hamas, whose attack on Israel on October 7 last year triggered the war.

Hamas said on Sunday that one of the hostages seized during that attack had been killed in an Israeli air strike on northern Gaza, and that another had been injured. The Israeli army said it was looking into the claim. Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups are believed to still be holding about 100 hostages, of whom 35 have officially been declared dead.

Israeli attacks continued across Gaza overnight, injuring several medical personnel in an air strike on oxygen generators at Beit Lahia's Kamal Adwan Hospital.

Hussam Abu Safiyeh, director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, is treated by colleagues for his injuries after an Israeli strike on the hospital compound. AFP
Hussam Abu Safiyeh, director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, is treated by colleagues for his injuries after an Israeli strike on the hospital compound. AFP

Hospital Director Hussam Abu Safiyeh was among the wounded and spoke to the press from a hospital bed as doctors tended to his injured leg.

“These people, they target everyone, but I swear this will not stop us from continuing our humanitarian work,” he said in a video shared online. “We will keep on providing this service no matter what it costs us.

“I was injured in my place of work, and it was an honour to be injured in this place. My blood isn't better or any more precious than the blood of my staff and the rest of our people.”

The medical centre has been repeatedly struck by Israeli forces, who arrested most of its medical staff in a raid last month, leaving wounded Palestinians with few options for life-saving treatment.

Gaza's Health Ministry has warned attacks on the hospital constitute a “death sentence” for wounded civilians, with remaining staff only able to administer basic first aid to people injured in Israeli attacks.

On Sunday morning, at least seven people were killed in strikes in the central Bureij and Al Maghazi refugee camps, according to Wafa.

A girl, 11, and her sister, 12, were among four killed in the strike on Al Bureij camp, which destroyed a three-storey building in the middle of the night.

Their mother and two sisters were seriously wounded in the strike, father Abdul Salam Abu Al Nahl told the state news agency Wafa. The family had fled to the area after being displaced from Al Shati refugee camp, near Gaza city, several months ago, he said.

Several people were also wounded in Israeli attacks on the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah.

Authorities have repeatedly warned of no safe place remaining for civilians in Gaza, where more than 44,200 people have been killed since the war began last October. Gaza's Health Ministry said on Sunday that the toll included 35 people killed in the previous 24 hours.

A humanitarian crisis also threatens to worsen as winter approaches and Israel continues to block aid deliveries into the enclave.

About a third of 129 planned humanitarian missions were allowed into Gaza over the past week, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Friday.

“The rest were either denied, impeded or cancelled due to security or logistical reasons,” he added.

“As winter nears, Palestinians across the Gaza Strip are in dire need of adequate shelter to protect them from the rain and cold.”

Mr Dujarric said that UN partners were distributing tents and shelters as quickly as possible, but this is only a fraction of what is needed in the area, with hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians living in makeshift sites and damaged buildings.

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What you as a drone operator need to know

A permit and licence is required to fly a drone legally in Dubai.

Sanad Academy is the United Arab Emirate’s first RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) training and certification specialists endorsed by the Dubai Civil Aviation authority.

It is responsible to train, test and certify drone operators and drones in UAE with DCAA Endorsement.

“We are teaching people how to fly in accordance with the laws of the UAE,” said Ahmad Al Hamadi, a trainer at Sanad.

“We can show how the aircraft work and how they are operated. They are relatively easy to use, but they need responsible pilots.

“Pilots have to be mature. They are given a map of where they can and can’t fly in the UAE and we make these points clear in the lectures we give.

“You cannot fly a drone without registration under any circumstances.”

Larger drones are harder to fly, and have a different response to location control. There are no brakes in the air, so the larger drones have more power.

The Sanad Academy has a designated area to fly off the Al Ain Road near Skydive Dubai to show pilots how to fly responsibly.

“As UAS technology becomes mainstream, it is important to build wider awareness on how to integrate it into commerce and our personal lives,” said Major General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief, Dubai Police.

“Operators must undergo proper training and certification to ensure safety and compliance.

“Dubai’s airspace will undoubtedly experience increased traffic as UAS innovations become commonplace, the Forum allows commercial users to learn of best practice applications to implement UAS safely and legally, while benefitting a whole range of industries.”

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The Little Things

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Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

UAE SQUAD

 

Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani

Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Mohammed Al Attas

Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah

Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue

Updated: November 24, 2024, 12:23 PM`