Palestinian children received presents from Make-A-Wish UAE at a special event in Emirates Humanitarian City, Abu Dhabi, on Tuesday.
Wishes were granted to children from Gaza currently receiving treatment at the centre – a small gesture that brought smiles to young faces, even as their deepest hope remains for the war to end and to be reunited with their families.
Balloons floated through the halls and ice creams were handed out as Make-A-Wish UAE delivered phones, tablets, gaming laptops and other items requested by the children. Amid the laughter and celebration, the wounds of war were never far away.
Jameel Astal, 14, who lost the vision in one eye after shrapnel from a rocket struck his face, said his first call would be to his father, who is still in Gaza. “I’ve always wanted an iPhone,” said Hassan Kuzat, another child at the event. “Ever since I was in Gaza.”
“Don’t drop it,” his mother Nariman Kuzat, 38, warned with a soft laugh. “Our wish is for the war to end and to be reunited with our families. But this is the first time I’ve seen my son smile since we arrived,” she said. The family has been in the UAE for seven months.
“He’s a happy child, but this war has robbed that from us. It has taken our lives,” she said. “It’s hard to smile with everything that’s happened, but today – just look around you. Our children are smiling. And we are smiling with them.”
Bringing some joy
Moath Al Najar, 13, who lost his left arm in the war, also asked for an iPhone. His mother said he studies both at Emirates Humanitarian City and virtually through exam portals in Gaza. He is in the sixth grade.
“Now I can continue my studies in Gaza and call my father who is still there,” he said. “Bringing a smile to young children who have lost their arms and legs – and sometimes their families – is immeasurable. We can’t thank the UAE and Make-A-Wish enough for this. It’s what we all need: some happiness in the middle of all of this.”
The wishes were part of Make-A-Wish UAE’s fourth visit to Emirates Humanitarian City.
“We are here today to grant wishes for children from Gaza with critical illnesses. These children are currently receiving care at Emirates Humanitarian City, and today marks our fourth visit to grant their wishes. So far, we’ve granted more than 80 wishes here [since visits began four months ago], with 19 today alone,” said Noha El Shourbagy, chief operating officer of Make-A-Wish UAE.
“Of course, the ultimate wish for these children is for the war to end and to be reunited with their families. We can’t change everything, but what we can do is bring them moments of hope, strength and joy during a very difficult time.” The gifts given included games and electronics such as PlayStations and tablets.
“Usually, we work within four categories of wishes: wish to have, wish to go, wish to be, and wish to meet. But because the children are residing inside the humanitarian city, most of the wishes fall under the category of ‘wish to have’,” Ms El Shourbagy said.
Make-A-Wish UAE grants wishes to critically ill children from the ages of three to 18 across the UAE, Egypt, Yemen and Jordan, in partnership with hospitals in each country.
“We were established in 2010 and since then, we’ve granted around 7,900 wishes. Soon, we’ll be celebrating our 8,000th wish,” she said. “We’ve agreed with Emirates Humanitarian City to come monthly and grant around 20 wishes each visit. As long as these children are here, we will continue to show up for them.”
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."
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Barings Bank
Barings, one of Britain’s oldest investment banks, was
founded in 1762 and operated for 233 years before it went bust after a trading
scandal.
Barings Bank collapsed in February 1995 following colossal
losses caused by rogue trader Nick Lesson.
Leeson gambled more than $1 billion in speculative trades,
wiping out the venerable merchant bank’s cash reserves.
T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Qualifier A, Muscat
(All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv)
Fixtures
Friday, February 18: 10am Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm Semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm Final
UAE squad:Ahmed Raza(captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
How to book
Call DHA on 800342
Once you are registered, you will receive a confirmation text message
Present the SMS and your Emirates ID at the centre
DHA medical personnel will take a nasal swab
Check results within 48 hours on the DHA app under ‘Lab Results’ and then ‘Patient Services’
Results
57kg quarter-finals
Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Hamed Al Matari (YEM) by points 3-0.
60kg quarter-finals
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) RSC round 2.
63.5kg quarter-finals
Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Shamlan A Othman (KUW) by points 3-0.
67kg quarter-finals
Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Ahmad Ondash (LBN) by points 2-1.
71kg quarter-finals
Ahmad Bahman (UAE) defeated Lalthasanga Lelhchhun (IND) by points 3-0.
Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Seyed Kaveh Safakhaneh (IRI) by points 3-0.
81kg quarter-finals
Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Ahmad Hilal (PLE) by points 3-0
Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: the specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 plus rear-mounted electric motor
Power: 843hp at N/A rpm
Torque: 1470Nm N/A rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.6L/100km
On sale: October to December
Price: From Dh875,000 (estimate)
