Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
More aid supplies are heading to Gaza from the UAE to help alleviate the growing humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
A senior official from the UN Humanitarian Response Depot said this week eight lorries would travel with essential equipment including tent and medical kits to help Gazans.
The aim is to find a “window of opportunity” to cross into the Palestinian enclave and help the besieged population.
Five lorries were loaded with supplies at International Humanitarian City in Dubai on Wednesday before leaving for Gaza, with three lorries set to be loaded on Thursday.
Parents are not eating for days at a time so their children can
Walid Ibrahim,
network co-ordinator for the UNHRD
“These trucks will travel all the way from Dubai to Jordan by road,” Walid Ibrahim, network co-ordinator for the World Food Programme-managed response depot, told The National. “The cargo is enough to support around 12,000 people inside Gaza, as part of the multiple and ongoing shipments that are being dispatched to support the growing needs in Gaza.
“They are expected to arrive in Jordan in around eight days, where they will try to find any window of opportunity to cross into Gaza.”
The aid comes after the UN Security Council demanded an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza war and the US warned Israel on Tuesday against a ground offensive in Rafah, saying it was “not the way to do it”.
The UN has called for unhindered access to Gaza and says the aid delivered so far is only a small fraction of what is needed.
“The choice is clear: surge or starvation,” said Mr Ibrahim. “We need Israel to allow more routes into Gaza, including from the north, and use of Ashdod port.
“We need humanitarian staff and supplies to move freely, and the people of Gaza to access assistance safely. As famine closes in, an Israeli land offensive in southern Gaza would make our task even harder. We need a humanitarian ceasefire.”
More than 1.9 million people – 90 per cent of the enclave's population – have been displaced since Israel launched its offensive on Gaza.
Mr Ibrahim painted a grim picture of the situation, with famine “imminent” in the north of Gaza and malnutrition among children proceeding at a record pace. One in three below the age of two are now acutely malnourished or “wasted”.
“Parents are not eating for days at a time so their children can,” he said. “Some 70 per cent of the population in the North is facing catastrophic hunger.”
Responding to the UN ceasefire call, he said the WFP was ready to support in any way it can and would aim to “flood” the areas and communities that are most affected.
“We’ll aim to get a constant flow of trucks to the north every day to avert the risk of famine,” he said. “Regular wide-scale distributions will ease tensions and create the conditions for more targeted food assistance operations, using bakeries, hot meals, and food parcels.”
The war broke out in October after a Hamas attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel.
More than 32,400 have since been killed by Israeli forces and aid deliveries into Gaza have been severely curtailed, with aircraft now carrying out aid drops in some areas due to difficulty accessing the enclave by land or sea.
Rafah, an area 20 per cent the size of Gaza and the target of a planned Israeli invasion, currently hosts more than a million people. A lack of fuel, gas, telecoms and a reliable electricity supply hamper humanitarian operations, with ordinary people suffering the most.
“They are sleeping in tents and on the streets and seeking refuge in shelters with no basic services,” said Mr Ibrahim, who cautioned the WFP could not guarantee a regular flow of food to people who need it.
Mr Ibrahim said the two convoys were sponsored by the EU's emergency response branch – the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, better known as Echo.
“Echo has been a relentless partner of WFP and UNHRD since the very early days of the crisis,” he said.
Mr Ibrahim said the supplies sent on Wednesday came from “one of our most active partners, Irish Aid” with Thursday's from another partner, Catholic Relief Services, and carrying emergency shelter equipment.
The WFP manages the UNHRD in Dubai, with similar sites in Panama, Italy, Ghana and Malaysia.
Since the beginning of the war, Mr Ibrahim said about 43 consignments were sent from the relief depot in Dubai and Brindisi hubs.
The shipments of about 1,126 tonnes, valued at about $5 million, were sent on behalf of WFP and 12 humanitarian organisations. The overall global efforts enabled the WFP to distribute food assistance to more than 1.45 million people in Gaza in February.
“We also support over 70 community kitchens to provide over 350,000 hot meals daily,” Mr Ibrahim said.
The WFP is also helping bakeries get back on their feet by providing them with wheat flour and other necessary resources to operate. About 500,000 people have been able to buy bread again because of this assistance.
Up to 24 March, WFP has received 3,327 lorries in Gaza with more than 56,633 tonnes of cargo. The WFP requires 22,000 tonnes of food every month to meet the needs of 1.1 million people.
Countries drop aid into war-torn Gaza – in pictures
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20profile%20
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Napoleon
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Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
MATCH INFO
AC Milan v Inter, Sunday, 6pm (UAE), match live on BeIN Sports
RESULT
Al Hilal 4 Persepolis 0
Khribin (31', 54', 89'), Al Shahrani 40'
Red card: Otayf (Al Hilal, 49')
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
On sale: now
Kill%20
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Miguel Cotto world titles:
WBO Light Welterweight champion - 2004-06
WBA Welterweight champion – 2006-08
WBO Welterweight champion – Feb 2009-Nov 2009
WBA Light Middleweight champion – 2010-12
WBC Middleweight champion – 2014-15
WBO Light Middleweight champion – Aug 2017-Dec 2017
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
MEYDAN RESULTS
6.30pm Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh125,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer).
7.05pm Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Galaxy Road, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
7.40pm Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner Al Modayar, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh170,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Gundogdu, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.50pm Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner George Villiers, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 (D)1,200m
Winner Lady Parma, Connor Beasley, Satish Seemar
10pm Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner Zaajer, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
HOW TO WATCH
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RESULT
Liverpool 4 Southampton 0
Jota (2', 32')
Thiago (37')
Van Dijk (52')
Man of the match: Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
General%20Classification
%3Cp%3E1.%20Elisa%20Longo%20Borghini%20(ITA)%20Trek-Segafredo%3Cbr%3E2.%20Gaia%20Realini%20(ITA)%20Trek-Segafredo%207%20secs%3Cbr%3E3.%20Silvia%20Persico%20(ITA)%20UAE%20Team%20ADQ%201%20min%2018%20secs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Spider-Man%202
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Insomniac%20Games%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%20Sony%20Interactive%20Entertainment%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPlayStation%205%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday, February 8 v Kenya; Friday, February 9 v Canada; Sunday, February 11 v Nepal; Monday, February 12 v Oman; Wednesday, February 14 v Namibia; Thursday, February 15 final
65
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INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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DUNGEONS%20%26%20DRAGONS%3A%20HONOR%20AMONG%20THIEVES
%3Cp%3EDirectors%3A%20John%20Francis%20Daley%20and%20Jonathan%20Goldstein%3Cbr%3EStars%3A%20Chris%20Pine%2C%20Michelle%20Rodriguez%2C%20Rege-Jean%20Page%2C%20Justice%20Smith%2C%20Sophia%20Lillis%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
TOUCH RULES
Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.
Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.
Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.
A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.
After a touch the player performs a “roll-ball” - similar to the play-the-ball in league - stepping over or rolling the ball between the feet.
At the roll-ball, the defenders have to retreat a minimum of five metres.
A touchdown is scored when an attacking player places the ball on or over the score-line.
Juventus v Napoli, Sunday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Match on Bein Sports
Result
Arsenal 4
Monreal (51'), Ramsey (82'), Lacazette 85', 89')
West Ham United 1
Arnautovic (64')
Adele: The Stories Behind The Songs
Caroline Sullivan
Carlton Books
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Haltia.ai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Arto%20Bendiken%20and%20Talal%20Thabet%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241.7%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self%2C%20family%20and%20friends%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
