Two dozen western nations have called for the reopening of a medical corridor to allow patients from Gaza to be treated in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, offering to provide financial aid, medical staff and equipment.
The joint appeal issued on Monday comes as the enclave's medical centres, already battered by nearly two years of war, are struggling to cope with mounting casualties as the Israeli military intensifies attacks on Gaza city.
“We strongly appeal to Israel to restore the medical corridor to the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, so medical evacuations from Gaza can be resumed and patients can get the treatment that they so urgently need on Palestinian territory,” the countries said in a joint statement.
“We furthermore urge Israel to lift restrictions on deliveries of medicine and medical equipment to Gaza."
The other signatories were from Europe, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Norway and Poland.
There was no immediate reaction from Israel, which has previously rejected the idea, citing “security concerns”. Israel controls all the exit points from Gaza and has allowed some residents to be evacuated to Arab and European countries for medical treatment, but their number is a fraction of the seriously ill or injured in the territory.
Gaza's Health Ministry warned on Tuesday that the enclave’s entire health system could shut down within days because of a lack of fuel.
“The health system in Gaza is breathing its last … and all attempts to save what remains may fail under the weight of the systematic destruction of hospitals and health services,” the territory's Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.
“The fuel crisis in the remaining operational hospitals has entered an extremely dangerous stage. Vital departments could stop within days, exposing patients and the wounded to certain death.”
Mounir Al Bursh, the ministry's director general, said three major hospitals – Al Oyoun, Hamad and Al Rantisi – were already out of service. “We are only 48 hours away from a complete shutdown of hospitals,” he said.
“Preventing the entry of fuel into the strip will cause a major catastrophe."
Israel had targeted 38 hospitals since the beginning of the war, with 1,723 medical workers killed so far, according to ministry figures.
The Palestinian Medical Relief Society, an NGO, said on Tuesday that Israel destroyed its main centre in Gaza city after ordering it to be evacuated. The six-storey building in the Tel Al Hawa neighbourhod, which provided blood donation and testing services, trauma care, cancer medicine and treatment of chronic diseases, was reduced to rubble by an air strike, it said.
Along with attacks on buildings and staff, Gaza's hospitals have struggled with shortages of fuel and medical supplies because of Israeli restrictions on the entry of aid. Only a fraction of the aid needed, including medicine, has reached the territory since Israel lifted a blockade in May, humanitarian agencies said in late August.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said on Monday that two health centres were among 12 of its premises in Gaza city that suffered “either direct or indirect strikes” between September 11 and 16.
World Health Organisation chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned last week that hospitals, “already overwhelmed, are on the brink of collapse as escalating violence blocks access and prevents WHO from delivering life-saving supplies”.
Mr Al Bursh added: “The catastrophe cannot be overstated. Without fuel, without protection for our health workers, without immediate intervention, Gaza’s medical system will collapse completely and with it countless more lives.
Tanks near Al Shifa
Gaza city residents reported increasing air strikes and shelling over the past two days, with Israeli tanks reaching Al Nasser Street, less than a kilometre from Al Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest medical complex. Several civilians in the area were hit by sniper fire.
The Health Ministry said on Tuesday that Gaza hospitals received 38 bodies and 190 wounded people over the previous 24 hours, raising the overall toll since the war began 65,382 killed and 166,985 injured.
Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people on October 7, 2023.
The Israeli government said the assault on Gaza city was necessary to achieve its goal of eliminating Hamas and recovering about 50 hostages still held by the militants out of about 250 seized during the 2023 attack.
The assault has forced hundreds of thousands of the city's estimated one million population to flee south, where the Israeli military claims to have created a humanitarian zone where tents, food, water and medical services will be available. Others, like Momen Fazys, a journalist, have chosen to stay in the city, despite the situation being "very difficult".
“I didn’t leave Gaza before and I don’t want to leave it now,” he told The National. “If we abandon Gaza and it becomes emptied, we will never come to it again. No one will return to it and it will be lost on top of what has already been lost."
He said those who refused to leave during previous attacks were the ones responsible for the return of those who had fled. “They foiled the displacement project the first time and with God’s will they will foil it again.”
Others want to leave but struggle to find transport. “My husband tried with several drivers who promised to come but in the end asked us to pay more, which we couldn’t afford,” Wijdan Hassouna, a 42-year-old mother of six, told The National.
“Finally, we found a small car and he asked for 3,000 shekels [$897]. I accepted immediately because last night was terrible, the shelling and sound of bombing made you feel the morning would never come.”
With limited space in the vehicle, she was forced to leave most of her belongings behind. “Even so, I don’t know where to go. I will stay with my brother in his tent until I can manage a place for us.”
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
RESULT
Manchester United 1 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Man United: Dunk (66' og)
Man of the Match: Shane Duffy (Brighton)
Results:
5pm: Baynunah Conditions (UAE bred) Dh80,000 1,400m.
Winner: Al Tiryaq, Dane O’Neill (jockey), Abdullah Al Hammadi (trainer).
5.30pm: Al Zahra Handicap (rated 0-45) Dh 80,000 1,400m:
Winner: Fahadd, Richard Mullen, Ahmed Al Mehairbi.
6pm: Al Ras Al Akhdar Maiden Dh80,000 1,600m.
Winner: Jaahiz, Jesus Rosales, Eric Lemartinel.
6.30pm: Al Reem Island Handicap Dh90,000 1,600m.
Winner: AF Al Jahed, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel.
7pm: Al Khubairah Handicap (TB) 100,000 2,200m.
Winner: Empoli, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap Dh80,000 2,200m.
Winner: Shivan OA, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh282,870
On sale: now
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Wydad 2 Urawa 3
Wydad Nahiri 21’, Hajhouj 90'
Urawa Antonio 18’, 60’, Kashiwagi 26’
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
South Africa squad
: Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada.
England's lowest Test innings
- 45 v Australia in Sydney, January 28, 1887
- 46 v West Indies in Port of Spain, March 25, 1994
- 51 v West Indies in Kingston, February 4, 2009
- 52 v Australia at The Oval, August 14, 1948
- 53 v Australia at Lord's, July 16, 1888
- 58 v New Zealand in Auckland, March 22, 2018
The biog
Name: James Mullan
Nationality: Irish
Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)
Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”
Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
MATCH INFO
Europa League semi-final, second leg
Atletico Madrid (1) v Arsenal (1)
Where: Wanda Metropolitano
When: Thursday, May 3
Live: On BeIN Sports HD
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
Try out the test yourself
Q1 Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2 per cent per year. After five years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow?
a) More than $102
b) Exactly $102
c) Less than $102
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q2 Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1 per cent per year and inflation was 2 per cent per year. After one year, how much would you be able to buy with the money in this account?
a) More than today
b) Exactly the same as today
c) Less than today
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q4 Do you think that the following statement is true or false? “Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.”
a) True
b) False
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
The “Big Three” financial literacy questions were created by Professors Annamaria Lusardi of the George Washington School of Business and Olivia Mitchell, of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Answers: Q1 More than $102 (compound interest). Q2 Less than today (inflation). Q3 False (diversification).
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
