A British charity has accused Israel of “accelerating the systemic dismantling” of Gaza's healthcare system after its clinic in Deir Al Balah was forced to close as Israel widens its military offensive.
Medical Aid for Palestinians' staff were given only six hours to evacuate by the Israelis, according to Liz Allcock, the charity's head of humanitarian protection. Shelling is now taking place around the premises.
“Nine clinics, five shelters, and a vital community kitchen have been forced to shut down,” the group said. The facilities affected include a polyclinic that provides life-saving help along with physiotherapy and mental health services to an average of 320 patients a day.
The closure comes after the Israeli army launched ground operations in Deir Al Balah, an area of central Gaza it had not entered since the Gaza war began. Deir Al Balah plays host to most of the UN and international aid agencies operating in the enclave. It was previously designated a safe zone by Israel.
The clearance of the area means 88 per cent of Gaza is now under some sort of eviction order by Israel. A World Health Organisation (WHO) aid warehouse also fell victim to the Israeli military operation on Monday night when it was raided by Israeli forces.
Male staff and family members were “handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot and screened at gunpoint”, the WHO said in a statement. One staff member is still in detention.
The warehouse was also sheltering displaced civilians. Women and children were told to move south towards Al Mawasi, where Israel's defence minister has announced plans for a camp to house 600,000 Palestinians.
The living quarters of the staff were attacked three times, while air strikes caused fires and extensive damage to the warehouse, the WHO said. “The Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot towards Al Mawasi amid active conflict,” it added. The WHO called the episode “part of a pattern of systemic destruction of health facilities”.
Israel has sought to shift aid operations in Gaza away from the UN and other established humanitarian groups by launching the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US and Israel-backed group.
But the GHF's operations have been marred by deaths near its aid sites, with the Israeli military accused of repeatedly opening fire on Palestinian civilians seeking supplies. More than 1,000 people have been killed since the end of May while seeking food from the GHF, the UN says.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen, with reports of children starving to death. Essential workers are fainting on duty due to hunger, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) chief Philippe Lazzarini said on Tuesday. The threat of air strikes was adding to the danger, added Ms Allcock.
“You cannot deliver medicine, water or nutritional supplements while under attack, or drive ambulances on streets with ground troops,” she said. But many workers were carrying on regardless, she added. “People are telling us they'd rather die from bombing than slowly through starvation.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
info-box
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Happy Tenant
Started: January 2019
Co-founders: Joe Moufarrej and Umar Rana
Based: Dubai
Sector: Technology, real-estate
Initial investment: Dh2.5 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 4,000
Aquaman%20and%20the%20Lost%20Kingdom
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20James%20Wan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jason%20Mamoa%2C%20Patrick%20Wilson%2C%20Amber%20Heard%2C%20Yahya%20Abdul-Mateen%20II%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
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:
SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%20Supercharged%203.5-litre%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20400hp%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20430Nm%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh450%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Men’s singles
Group A: Son Wan-ho (Kor), Lee Chong Wei (Mas), Ng Long Angus (HK), Chen Long (Chn)
Group B: Kidambi Srikanth (Ind), Shi Yugi (Chn), Chou Tien Chen (Tpe), Viktor Axelsen (Den)
Women’s Singles
Group A: Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn), Pusarla Sindhu (Ind), Sayaka Sato (Jpn), He Bingjiao (Chn)
Group B: Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe), Sung Hi-hyun (Kor), Ratchanok Intanon (Tha), Chen Yufei (Chn)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Results:
Men's wheelchair 800m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 1.44.79; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 1.45.88; 3. Isaac Towers (GBR) 1.46.46.
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20electric%20motors%20with%20102kW%20battery%20pack%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E570hp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20890Nm%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Up%20to%20428km%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1%2C700%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
It
Director: Andres Muschietti
Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor
Three stars
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
JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
