Ashraf Abo Salla spent 21 months shielding his 11-year-old daughter Nour from Israeli bombardment, dodging bombs, shelling and snipers.
But there was one thing he couldn’t protect her from: hunger. Nour died of starvation caused by a brutal Israeli siege. Her father couldn’t find food, and the lentils they were given weren’t enough to keep her alive.
In a Gaza morgue, frail and hollow-eyed, he appeared consumed by guilt, though none of this was his doing. He didn’t cry, but his despair and anger were raw as he wrapped Nour’s skeletal body, her ribs and wrists clearly visible, in a blue sheet. Her clothes were still on: dirty jeans and a worn black blouse she seemed to have lived and died in.
“They trick us with a handful of lentils, but children need bread too. They need milk,” he told The National, in reference to the aid being distributed, which is given under the constant threat of being killed, by an Israel-US backed foundation. “She survived on the community kitchens, but those are gone now,” he added, standing in front of a cracked wall where a corner had been broken to make space for black plastic body bags.
More than 60,000 Palestinians, among them tens of thousands of children, have been killed by Israeli fire since the start of the war. Despite global outrage, Israel has refused to halt its bombardment, claiming it is targeting Hamas, but in the process it is destroying the lives and futures of hundreds of thousands of people.
Starvation is increasingly being used as a weapon of war, according to the UN. In recent weeks, dozens have died of hunger in the besieged coastal enclave, where even fishing is banned. A trickle of aid trucks has entered Gaza in the last few days, but the famine is spreading, and children like Nour are dying every day.
Cold marble table
Images emerging from Gaza show clinics crowded with starving people. Residents have begun posting their daily struggles on social media: a piece of bread shaped like a fish to trick children into believing it's a real fish; a single piece of fruit shared by a family of six; fava beans eaten like snacks.
“They just see us as images,” said the aunt of 13-year-old Remas Al Burdeene, speaking from a small clinic in Gaza. Remas’s life had been hard long before the famine. She lived with a disability in her legs and had endured war after war. This week, she died of hunger, too.
On a dark, cold marble table, her tiny legs peeked out from under a brown blanket. Nurses arrived to wrap her body in a white burial shroud. Before that, Dalia, her aunt, had covered her with her own blanket and held her one last time. The blanket had a drawing of a dark blue sky. “No one is doing anything to help us,” the aunt said, her body as thin as Remas’s.
On Tuesday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) issued an alert over the rise in hunger-related deaths in Gaza, warning that access to food and other essentials has plummeted to unprecedented levels. “Famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of the Gaza Strip,” the IPC said in a report.
For Dr Khalil Al Dajran, of Al Aqsa Hospital, the worst is yet to come, despite international outrage and even US President Donald Trump acknowledging the starvation crisis and calling for Gaza’s children to be fed.
“Today we announced 14 more deaths due to malnutrition, raising the number of starvation deaths to 147, of which 88 are children,” he told The National. “We fear the number will increase in the coming days,” warned the doctor, who was speaking outside the hospital near a field clinic, as people waited on the pavement for news of loved ones.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to acknowledge the consequences of his decisions and his army’s siege policy. “There is no starvation in Gaza,” he claimed in a speech.
Get Out
Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
Four stars
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
((Disclaimer))
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'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
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.
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 290hp
Torque: 340Nm
Price: Dh155,800
On sale: now
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
THE BIO: Mohammed Ashiq Ali
Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”
Favourite TV programme: the news
Favourite place in Dubai: Al Fahidi. “They started the metro in 2009 and I didn’t take it yet.”
Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Company%20Profile
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Fund-raising tips for start-ups
Develop an innovative business concept
Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors
Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19
Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.)
Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months
Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses
Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business
* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna
