Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
The start of the exchange of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel for hostages held by Hamas under a ceasefire deal has highlighted the need of those freed on both sides for immediate physical and psychological treatment.
There has been a flood of testimony of mistreatment and neglect by Israeli prison authorities of the first batch of 90 Palestinian detainees released early on Monday. Little has been reported so far on the condition of the three female hostages released from Gaza the previous day, due to strict conditions around media coverage, but Israeli doctors said they expect to see severe ill effects from their extended captivity in tunnels underground.
Fakhri Bari, 28, told The National that the health of his mother Israa, 52, who suffers from asthma, had deteriorated during her two months in prison.
Mr Bari claimed his mother did not receive adequate medical care while detained. “Israa was not provided with the medical treatment she needed. They only gave her Acamol medicine but not the medicine required for her condition,” he said.
Her health reportedly took a turn for the worse when a tear gas canister was released in the prison. “After the tear gas explosion, her condition deteriorated significantly. Another prisoner gave her an inhaler to help her breathe,” her son said.
Amani Sarahna, media co-ordinator for the Palestinian Prisoners Society, said the situation of those released was "tragic on all levels" and that they were being taken to government hospitals in the occupied West Bank for treatment.
"I have spoken to several of the detainees – their situation psychologically is terrible – and most suffer physically from malnutrition due to lack of proper food, which has severely impacted them,” she said.
“Even those who had been detained before said that this time was more brutal, with some reporting severe beatings and mistreatment, particularly after the events of October 7, 2023,” she said, referring to the Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
Israeli authorities, meanwhile, have put in place a complex health and rehabilitation procedure for the released hostages. They will receive an initial check-up in reception centres just outside the Gaza border with basic facilities, where they will be met by family members.
From there, they are to be taken by military helicopter to Israel’s best hospitals, such as Sheba Medical Centre in Ramat Gan where the first hostages freed on Sunday were taken. Footage released by Israeli authorities showed white-walled corridors with private rooms stocked with toiletry bags and quiet reception rooms to meet family members.
Dr Amir Blumenfeld, a paediatric surgeon and combat trauma expert, said a great deal was learnt from the hostages released during a brief ceasefire in November 2023. They posed an unprecedented challenge for Israeli doctors who had to scan medical literature to find the best approach to treatment.
There are major differences this time, said Dr Blumenfeld, who is part of the health department of the main forum for Israeli hostages.
“Previously it was mostly women and kids that were being released, so we asked for female staff to take care of hostages primarily,” he said. "This time we are probably going to change that, given the released will be mostly men."
Despite this comprehensive approach and the lessons learnt, Dr Blumenfeld said the recovery process for the newly freed hostages would be extremely complex, particularly because of the conditions of their captivity.
Underground tunnels, where many of the remaining hostages are held, have a particularly damaging effect on the body. “The brain, heart, lungs, gastrointestinal health, muscles, bones, hormones, everything is damaged in tunnels," he said.
“The most important factor is the time that passes. If it’s a few weeks in tunnels then it’s quite possible nothing serious goes wrong and they can go back to normal,” he added.
“After such a long time, 15 months, we pretty much expect many illnesses, physical and mental, from everyone. We can not differentiate between men and women, young and old. Everyone is in terrible shape.”
Dr Blumenfeld said most of the hostages would not survive a second winter in captivity.“They have no reserves, their weight is down 20 to 50 per cent,” he said.
“Their mental status is also majorly damaged. They don’t know what’s going to happen and the attacks from the Israeli military make all these conditions extremely unacceptable and very, very dangerous.”
Mr Blumenfeld said it was normal for captives to feel euphoria for the first few days of their release but that all the hostages freed in the deal in November 2023 “went downhill mentally” after that.
He expects the problem to be worse for the hostages being released now. “It will take longer for them to understand they are here back safe," he said. "Some people will only start feeling mental symptoms in a month, a year or even more, but I expect it to be lifelong rehab for all of them."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
UAE squad
Men's draw: Victor Scvortov and Khalifa Al Hosani, (both 73 kilograms), Sergiu Toma and Mihail Marchitan (90kg), Ivan Remarenco (100kg), Ahmed Al Naqbi (60kg), Musabah Al Shamsi and Ahmed Al Hosani (66kg)
Women’s draw: Maitha Al Neyadi (57kg)
RESULTS
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,000m
Winner: AF Mozhell, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)
2.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Majdi, Szczepan Mazur, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
3pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: AF Athabeh, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: AF Eshaar, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi
4pm: Gulf Cup presented by Longines Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Al Roba’a Al Khali, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Younis Al Kalbani
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Apolo Kid, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muahiri
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULTS
6.30pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Final Song, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner Almanaara, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Grand Argentier, Brett Doyle, Doug Watson.
8.15pm Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Major Partnership, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner Universal Order, Richard Mullen, David Simcock.
'Will%20of%20the%20People'
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Honeymoonish
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Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Canada
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
