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Bleeding and in pain after being shot in the leg, shoulder and abdomen by an Israeli drone in Gaza city two weeks ago, Ghazi Ishtaywi had to wait for more than half an hour before staff at Al Ahli Baptist Hospital could attend to him.
“The delay wasn’t because of negligence,” Mr Ishtaywi, 25, told The National. “It’s just that there were too many injured and not enough doctors or equipment to treat us all.”
Israel’s renewed onslaught in Gaza since last month has overwhelmed a healthcare system teetering on the verge of collapse after 18 months of war, with most of the Palestinian enclave's medical facilities either completely or partly destroyed. Staff, equipment and medicine are in short supply.
Once the doctors were able to examine Mr Ishtaywi, they had to perform an X-ray on outdated machines that could not keep up with the influx of trauma cases. They found that a bullet lodged in his lower abdomen and he needed an operation to remove it.
“When the doctors saw the scan, they said it was too dangerous to leave the bullet inside,” Mr Ishtaywi said. “Normally, this kind of operation would require full anaesthesia in a sterile operating room, but they had no choice but to operate using only local anaesthesia.”
That meant numbing only the immediate area around the wound, leaving Mr Ishtaywi conscious throughout the surgery.
“You still feel pressure, movement, pain. It’s a terrible mental and physical experience,” he recalled. “After the operation, the next battle was getting painkillers and antibiotics. They just weren’t available. My sisters had to search outside the hospital, sometimes bringing medicine from contacts or private sources.”
The shortage of medicine in Gaza is “extremely severe and suffocating”, said Dr Khalil Al Daqran, spokesman for the Ministry of health in the enclave.
“What worsens the crisis is the increasing number of injuries caused by Israeli air strikes and ground operations.”
Al Ahli Baptist Hospital, the last fully functioning hospital in Gaza, was hit by an Israeli air strike on April 13 that destroyed its reception wing.
No food, medicine or other supplies have entered Gaza since Israel imposed a total blockade on March 2, amid a stand-off with Hamas over extending a ceasefire that began on January 19.
More than 1,600 people have been killed and more than 4,300 injured since Israel resumed attacks on March 18, according to the ministry. That raises the war's overall Palestinian death toll to more than 51,000 and the number of injured to more than 116,400.
The war began on October 7, 2023 when Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostage in raids on southern Israel. The Gaza government media office said on Wednesday that more than 1,400 healthcare workers have been killed so far, and about 360 workers have been detained by Israel.
Dr Al Daqran said the ministry estimates that Gaza’s stock of essential medicine is 37 per cent less than its needs, while the shortfall in medical supplies and personnel was nearly 60 per cent.
Resources are being rationed for the most critical cases, leaving many patients, especially those with chronic illnesses such as cancer or kidney failure, without access to life-saving treatment.
“In most hospitals, surgeries are now conducted with minimal resources,” he said. “Often, there is no anaesthesia or post-operative pain relief. Doctors are working with basic tools, and sometimes, no medications at all.”
Mohammed Ghabaeen, a pharmacist in Gaza city, said pharmacies were advising people to turn to traditional remedies because they did not have stocks of the medicine they need.
“People come to us because hospitals have nothing left, but we don’t have the medicine either,” Mr Ghabaeen told The National. “Many of us are advising people to turn to natural herbs, anything to help ease their symptoms.
“This isn’t how it should be. Herbal remedies can’t replace antibiotics, painkillers, or cancer medications, but it’s all we have now.”
With Israel insisting that it has no intention of halting its military operations or lifting its blockade, the situation for doctors and patients will soon get worse.
“We are not just short on medicine,” Dr Al Daqran said. “We are short on time.”
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
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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The specs
The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Milkman by Anna Burns
Ordinary People by Diana Evans
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Circe by Madeline Miller
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
The Dictionary of Animal Languages
Heidi Sopinka
Scribe
Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
