Performing on stage brought Ahmed Abo El Khair immense joy. Ever since he was 10, he had been passionate about dabke, the Palestinian folk dance recognised by Unesco as an intangible cultural heritage.
Ahmed was a proud and active member of a dabke troupe in Gaza, performing regularly in public. But after being shot in the head while collecting aid at a distribution centre, he was forced off the stage and into a hospital bed.
The university student, 20, who was known and loved for his bubbly personality, now lies helpless and frail, staring into the ceiling, almost in disbelief at his current state.
The smile on his face and spark in his eyes have vanished. His visible ribs are a testament to his malnutrition. Without proper food and medical treatment, Ahmed cannot recover, his family says. After weeks of near-total starvation, all that remains of him is skin and bones.
“Doctors tell us Ahmed needs proper nutrition to recover, and for his memory to get better, as he has some memory loss, but what can I feed him when there's no food?", his mother, Rana Abo El Khair, told The National.
The young Gazan had ventured to an aid centre run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in Netzarim to secure food for his family, when he was shot in the head. With deteriorating health centres, the bullet remains lodged in his skull, causing a fracture and internal bleeding.
The GHF has faced global criticism and condemnation for its food delivery system. Since May, at least 1,373 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food; 859 in the vicinity of the GHF sites and 514 along the routes of food convoys, the UN said last week.
He had made the perilous trip in desperation, amid severe food shortages in the enclave. Aid organisations, human rights groups and a global hunger monitor have warned of mass starvation and famine spreading in Gaza, forcing Palestinians to risk their lives for the smallest amounts of food.
Although Ahmed miraculously survived, his condition has deteriorated under Israel’s blockade of Gaza. His life has been turned upside down.
“Every passing day, his situation gets worse,” his father, Iyad Abo El Khair, told The National.
At least 193 people have now died of starvation – 96 of them children – under Israel's blockade of the coastal territory, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. International efforts have included food being dropped from the air and aid supplies from the UAE and Jordan, but starvation is increasingly being used as a weapon of war in Gaza, according to the UN. The agency's secretary general Antonio Guterres has described the search for food in the enclave as a “death sentence”.
“He loved food the most, he loved kaak and maftoul [Palestinian food], and he told me to prepare these foods for him once he got back from the aid centre,” Ahmed's mother said.
Instead, his mother received a call at 3am to say her son had been injured.
Ahmed was immediately admitted into the intensive care unit and later taken into surgery. Gaza's health sector has been significantly crippled by Israeli attacks and bombardment. UN reports have detailed Israel's deliberate and widespread attacking of Gaza's medical sector and medical staff.
“It was shocking to see my son like this, I have no words to describe it,” his mother said.
Despite his circumstances, Ahmed has one word on his lips at all times: “Alhamdulillah', or thank God, his sister, Doha Abo El Khair, told The National.
“Ahmed loved his life, he was happy, he was content, but he also had plans to travel and study abroad after working hard in school,” his sister said. “But now his future has gone to waste because of his situation,” she added.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Biography
Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day
Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour
Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour
Best vacation: Returning home to China
Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument
Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes
Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Company%20profile
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Sanchez's club career
2005-2006: Cobreloa
2006-2011 Udinese
2006-2007 Colo-Colo (on loan)
2007-2008 River Plate (on loan)
2011-2014 Barcelona
2014–Present Arsenal
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – UAE won by 36 runs
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
Sting & Shaggy
44/876
(Interscope)
Company%20profile
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