The UN's health agency has called for more access routes into Gaza and urged that thousands of people in great need of medical care be allowed to leave the Palestinian territory.
More than 68,000 Gazans have been killed and 170,000 wounded since Israel began military operations in the enclave following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, in which 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage.
A ceasefire, brokered by American, Qatari, Egyptian and Turkish mediators, was reached this month. While it is largely holding, it has been strained by a flare-up of violence in Gaza, disputes over the exchange of dead Israelis and Palestinians, and mutual distrust between Israel and Hamas.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has supported the medical evacuation of nearly 7,800 patients from the Gaza Strip since the war began – and estimates that about 15,000 people currently require treatment abroad.
“Opening up all the crossings is critical and even more so to get diverse food, shelter and all shelter-related items with the winter approaching,” the WHO's representative in the Palestinian territories Rik Peeperkorn said on Friday, in a briefing to reporters from Geneva.
Only the Karam Abu Salem and Kissufim crossings in the southern half of the strip are currently open. Rafah, a vital passenger crossing bordering Egypt, remains closed. Now that the ceasefire is in place, aid should be allowed to flow in freely, but the World Food Programme has said that this is not yet happening.
“The most important one would be the reopening of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem referral hospitals,” Mr Peeperkorn said. Reopening this route would be a “game changer”, he added.
He said limiting direct access to the north of the strip, where the UN declared a famine in August, makes it difficult to deliver life-saving supplies to health facilities at the scale required.
Gaza only has a total of about 2,100 inpatient beds for a population of around 2.2 million, he said, emphasising the need to expand hospital capacity. Several major health facilities, including Kamal Adwan, Al Awda, Indonesian and Gaza European hospitals, are beyond the “yellow line” where Israeli forces are positioned and have shot Palestinians attempting to cross the ill-marked boundary.
This makes the facilities “inaccessible for people and non-functional”, Mr Peeperkorn said. With more than 170,000 people injured over the last two years, many critical patients need access to treatment abroad, including 4,000 children who need medical evacuation, he added.
On Thursday, the WHO carried out the first medical evacuation since the ceasefire, of 41 patients and 145 companions, to various countries. The aim is to increase these to 50 patients per day plus companions.
As part of the ceasefire agreement, a Civil-Military Co-ordination Centre opened by US Central Command (Centcom) in southern Israel on October 17 hosted meetings between the UN and Israeli authorities.
Mr Peeperkorn said he was “hopeful” and the mechanism set to be put in place for aid entry should not only ensure assistance is brought in rapidly but also help in bringing in “massive supplies for recovery and reconstruction”.
He said work is being done towards shortening delays for aid heading into Gaza – an issue that has been reported as a deterrent against bringing in large amounts.
UN officials had previously told The National that the list of approved items keeps changing and vital supplies such as tents and medical kits are often turned away from the border under the pretext of being “dual-use”.
At least nine in 10 Palestinians in Gaza have been repeatedly displaced over the past two years, and 80 per cent of Gaza had been destroyed – leaving a majority of people homeless and in need of shelter.
“We made a consolidated list of essential medicines and medical supplies … priority items which are used in every hospital around the world,” said Mr Peeperkorn. He is hoping for a “completely different approach” towards the so-called dual-use issue.
“We need CAT scans in, we need spare parts in, we need MRIs in, we need X-rays in, we need ultrasounds in,” he said. All of these items had previously been delayed or blocked from entry, the WHO official added, but he hoped this would change in the future.
“We all know that this will be a long and winding road, with a lot of setbacks and obstructions, but we can only be hopeful that this ceasefire will hold, that we go to peace and we get to a proper political solution,” said Mr Peeperkorn.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
World Cup qualifier
Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')
UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2015%20PRO%20MAX
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%E2%80%98FSO%20Safer%E2%80%99%20-%20a%20ticking%20bomb
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
%20Ramez%20Gab%20Min%20El%20Akher
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How to volunteer
The UAE volunteers campaign can be reached at www.volunteers.ae , or by calling 800-VOLAE (80086523), or emailing info@volunteers.ae.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
