Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Emirati surgeon Dr Hamed Al Ahmad refused to let the constant threat of air strikes in Rafah deter him from doing his "national duty" in Gaza.
"I've treated many patients as bombs were being dropped in Rafah," Dr Hamed Al Ahmad said, recounting how Israeli attacks had intensified during the 103 days he worked at the UAE field hospital, which is located in the southern city of Rafah.
While working in a war zone, the challenge is to remain emotionally detached, the 46-year-old oral and maxillofacial surgeon told The National.
"You have to focus only on your patient's treatment and do the best you can in the dire situation," said Dr Al Ahmad.
"If you got emotional, then it would be very difficult to go on."
Despite the limitations of a field hospital in a war zone, Dr Al Ahmad has completed life-changing facial reconstruction for many Gazans.
"Usually, facial reconstruction cannot be done in the field hospital, but I did it," he said. None of his patients developed any subsequent infections, he added.
Most were treated for "broken bones, head and nerve injuries, and brain bleeding".
After his time at Rafah field hospital, set up as part of the UAE's Gallant Knight 3 operation to treat Palestinians injured in the conflict, Dr Al Ahmad has been stationed at the UAE’s floating hospital in the Egyptian city of Al Arish. He has been there since May 23.
Life in a war zone hospital
Apart from the heart-rending condition of his patients, the relentless bombing left Dr Al Ahmad sleep-deprived at nights.
"We used to sleep only for a few hours because of the loud explosions around us," he recalled. There were times he would stay up and watch the bombs going off in the distance as black smoke filled the sky, he added.
Every day he would wake up at 7am and attend a daily briefing at the hospital as they slotted the surgeries.
"After each strike, many patients, including children, would arrive and all three operation rooms would fill out," said Dr Al Ahmad.
The gratitude and resilience of his patients helped Dr Al Ahmad continue his work.
"The smile on their faces after treating them was the biggest motivation for me and my colleagues to carry on our duty," he said.
Dr Al Ahmad expressed immense pride at being able to "serve my brothers in such difficult situations".
"People were thanking the UAE for being on the ground to help them during their worst times," said Dr Al Ahmad.
Saving lives
Dr Al Ahmad, who arrived in Gaza in February, saved many lives but one particular case touched his heart.
A man had rushed his father into the emergency department after Israel bombarded their area with 16 air strikes.
"Half of Mohammed Al Jamal's face was crushed severely and his chance of survival was very low," said Dr Al Ahmad.
"When I broke the news to his son he just asked me to do what I could and said he had to go elsewhere.
"Upon more gentle questioning, the man eventually said he had to go "bury his sister"."
The news left Dr Al Ahmad shocked. "It was one of the toughest moments," he said.
Mr Al Jamal's condition stabilised and after three weeks in an intensive care unit, Dr Al Ahmad then carried out the four-hour facial reconstruction operation he needed.
"Mohammed is back to normal and can speak normally," he said.
A few days later, his son brought in his 10-year-old grandson, who had suffered a broken jaw.
"I operated on the little boy and the family couldn’t believe the results. Both survived," said Dr Al Ahmad.
The successful operations and well-stocked hospital were a result of the Emirati logistical teams in Al Arish, members of which ensured a steady supply of medicine and vital equipment.
Dr Al Ahmad is aware of the risks involved in working in a war zone, but believes it is his national duty to save lives.
"My family was scared when I told them I was going to Rafah but later they encouraged me to complete my humanitarian and national duty," he said.
He continues to treat injured Palestinians, about 50km from Rafah crossing border, at the UAE floating hospital in Al Arish.
"If they asked me to go [to Gaza] again, I would go without any hesitation," he said. "It is a humanitarian and national duty."
Watch: Onboard the UAE floating hospital
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
Mountain Classification Tour de France after Stage 8 on Saturday:
- 1. Lilian Calmejane (France / Direct Energie) 11
- 2. Fabio Aru (Italy / Astana) 10
- 3. Daniel Martin (Ireland / Quick-Step) 8
- 4. Robert Gesink (Netherlands / LottoNL) 8
- 5. Warren Barguil (France / Sunweb) 7
- 6. Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) 6
- 7. Guillaume Martin (France / Wanty) 6
- 8. Jan Bakelants (Belgium / AG2R) 5
- 9. Serge Pauwels (Belgium / Dimension Data) 5
- 10. Richie Porte (Australia / BMC Racing) 4
The fake news generation
288,000 – the number of posts reported as hate speech that were deleted by Facebook globally each month in May and June this year
11% – the number of Americans who said they trusted the news they read on Snapchat as of June 2017, according to Statista. Over a quarter stated that they ‘rarely trusted’ the news they read on social media in general
31% - the number of young people in the US aged between 10 and 18 who said they had shared a news story online in the last six months that they later found out was wrong or inaccurate
63% - percentage of Arab nationals who said they get their news from social media every single day.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
List of alleged parties
May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff
May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'
Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff
Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party
Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters
Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
Crops that could be introduced to the UAE
1: Quinoa
2. Bathua
3. Amaranth
4. Pearl and finger millet
5. Sorghum
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
Five personal finance podcasts from The National
To help you get started, tune into these Pocketful of Dirham episodes
·
Balance is essential to happiness, health and wealth
·
What is a portfolio stress test?
·
What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested?
·
How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies
·
Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?
Company%20profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
