Israel's latest offensive in Gaza has added to the burden on the remaining hospitals, where the deaths of doctors and the shortages of equipment and beds are pushing the situation once more to the brink.
That was the warning from the head of the World Health Organisation this week, who said Israel's attack on Gaza city and orders for people to leave are pushing them into an “ever-shrinking area unfit for human dignity”.
“Hospitals, already overwhelmed, are on the brink of collapse as escalating violence blocks access and prevents WHO from delivering life-saving supplies,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
Israel’s intensifying ground offensive has left medical staff scrambling to treat hundreds of wounded people every day. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, the director general of Al Shifa Hospital, said Gaza city's largest medical facility no longer had the capacity to handle severe cases.
“With every advance by [Israel] into the heart of Gaza city, the number of victims increases, and the health system is gasping for breath,” Dr Abu Salmiya told The National.
On Saturday, he was working in the hospital's emergency department when two victims killed in a strike were delivered to the ward: his brother and his sister-in-law.
"I was shocked and devastated to see the bodies of my brother and his wife," Dr Abu Salmiya said.
"Anything is possible now, as you receive your dearest ones as martyrs or wounded. The occupation's crimes continue, and the number of martyrs keeps rising."
The civil defence agency reported that at least 20 people had been killed in strikes on the city on Saturday.
Dr Abu Salmiya said the situation at the hospital was “catastrophic”.
“We are dealing with more than 100 injuries every day, and for most of them we are unable to provide medical services due to a lack of capacity and resources,” he said.
Some of his staff have been killed, others injured or arrested. Many fled south to protect their families as the Israeli military pushes deeper into Gaza city. Those who remain face relentless bombardment, including daily strikes near the hospital that make it nearly impossible to work safely.
Fuel shortages, he added, threaten to shut down the central oxygen station and halt ambulance operations. “If that happens,” he warned, “we will face a grave health and humanitarian catastrophe.”
Munir Al Bursh, director general of Gaza’s Health Ministry, echoed that warning. He said the main hospitals still functioning – Al Shifa, Al Ahli, and a handful of clinics – are operating beyond breaking point.
“There is no space left, not even for a single patient,” Dr Al Bursh told The National. “Dozens of patients and wounded are lying on the floors.”
With hospital capacity limited to fewer than 500 beds, doctors are inundated daily by hundreds of new injuries from round-the-clock air strikes and shelling. Many cases go untreated due to a lack of staff, equipment, or basic medical supplies, blocked by Israel’s closure of crossings into Gaza.
Israel is intensifying its attacks on the areas around the remaining hospitals, Dr Al Bursh said, disrupting the health system even more.
For families, the crisis is personal and devastating. Mohammed Abu Shanab, 47, was displaced from Gaza’s Shujaiya neighbourhood to Al Rimal. His 21-year-old son, Yahya, was gravely wounded in a bombing near the Al Samer area in mid-September.
“He stayed in the emergency reception area for about an hour before doctors could examine him, because of the overwhelming number of injured,” Mr Abu Shanab said. When surgeons finally took Yahya in, after a 10-hour wait, they operated under dire conditions, with electricity cutting off repeatedly.
Mr Abu Shanab had hoped to move his son south for follow-up care, but there was no transport. “I’m forced to stay here and watch my son suffer in front of me due to the lack of painkillers, antibiotics, and bandages,” he said.
After only two days, Yahya was discharged, far earlier than doctors recommended, because there were no beds left. “He needed at least a week,” his father said. “But there was no space for him, no place for the wounded.”
The health system has collapsed under the weight of war. Doctors are exhausted and undersupplied. Patients are crammed on to floors or sent home too soon. Ambulances and oxygen stations may soon stop working.
“Conditions are extremely difficult for people,” Mr Abu Shanab said. “There are no medical services because of the occupation, its bombardment, and its closure of the crossings.”
The WHO has warned that unless immediate steps are taken to ensure the safe delivery of fuel, medical supplies and humanitarian access, Gaza’s hospitals will not only fail the wounded of today, they will cease to exist for the survivors of tomorrow.
With reporting from AFP.
SPECS
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
Uefa Champions League last 16 draw
Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur
Basel v Manchester City
Sevilla v Manchester United
Porto v Liverpool
Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain
Shakhtar Donetsk v Roma
Chelsea v Barcelona
Bayern Munich v Besiktas
Mane points for safe home colouring
- Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
- Taking hair from a dark to a light colour should involve a slow transition through warmer stages of colour
- When choosing a colour (especially a lighter tone), allow for a natural lift of warmth
- Most modern hair colours are technique-based, in that they require a confident hand and taught skills
- If you decide to be brave and go for it, seek professional advice and use a semi-permanent colour
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'
Rating: 3/5
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Mads Mikkelson, Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Jude Law
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
Stage Two:
1. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 04:20:45
2. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix
3. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates
4. Olav Kooij (NED) Jumbo-Visma
5. Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
General Classification:
1. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix 09:03:03
2. Dmitry Strakhov (RUS) Gazprom-Rusvelo 00:00:04
3. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 00:00:06
4. Sam Bennett (IRL) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:00:10
5. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:12
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
