Two dozen western nations have called for the reopening of a medical corridor to allow patients from Gaza to be treated in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, offering to provide financial aid, medical staff and equipment.
The joint appeal issued on Monday comes as the enclave's medical centres, already battered by nearly two years of war, are struggling to cope with mounting casualties as the Israeli military intensifies attacks on Gaza city.
“We strongly appeal to Israel to restore the medical corridor to the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, so medical evacuations from Gaza can be resumed and patients can get the treatment that they so urgently need on Palestinian territory,” the countries said in a joint statement.
“We furthermore urge Israel to lift restrictions on deliveries of medicine and medical equipment to Gaza."
The other signatories were from Europe, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Norway and Poland.
There was no immediate reaction from Israel, which has previously rejected the idea, citing “security concerns”. Israel controls all the exit points from Gaza and has allowed some residents to be evacuated to Arab and European countries for medical treatment, but their number is a fraction of the seriously ill or injured in the territory.
Gaza's Health Ministry warned on Tuesday that the enclave’s entire health system could shut down within days because of a lack of fuel.
“The health system in Gaza is breathing its last … and all attempts to save what remains may fail under the weight of the systematic destruction of hospitals and health services,” the territory's Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.
“The fuel crisis in the remaining operational hospitals has entered an extremely dangerous stage. Vital departments could stop within days, exposing patients and the wounded to certain death.”
Mounir Al Bursh, the ministry's director general, said three major hospitals – Al Oyoun, Hamad and Al Rantisi – were already out of service. “We are only 48 hours away from a complete shutdown of hospitals,” he said.
“Preventing the entry of fuel into the strip will cause a major catastrophe."
Israel had targeted 38 hospitals since the beginning of the war, with 1,723 medical workers killed so far, according to ministry figures.
The Palestinian Medical Relief Society, an NGO, said on Tuesday that Israel destroyed its main centre in Gaza city after ordering it to be evacuated. The six-storey building in the Tel Al Hawa neighbourhod, which provided blood donation and testing services, trauma care, cancer medicine and treatment of chronic diseases, was reduced to rubble by an air strike, it said.
Along with attacks on buildings and staff, Gaza's hospitals have struggled with shortages of fuel and medical supplies because of Israeli restrictions on the entry of aid. Only a fraction of the aid needed, including medicine, has reached the territory since Israel lifted a blockade in May, humanitarian agencies said in late August.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said on Monday that two health centres were among 12 of its premises in Gaza city that suffered “either direct or indirect strikes” between September 11 and 16.
World Health Organisation chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned last week that hospitals, “already overwhelmed, are on the brink of collapse as escalating violence blocks access and prevents WHO from delivering life-saving supplies”.
Mr Al Bursh added: “The catastrophe cannot be overstated. Without fuel, without protection for our health workers, without immediate intervention, Gaza’s medical system will collapse completely and with it countless more lives.
Tanks near Al Shifa
Gaza city residents reported increasing air strikes and shelling over the past two days, with Israeli tanks reaching Al Nasser Street, less than a kilometre from Al Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest medical complex. Several civilians in the area were hit by sniper fire.
The Health Ministry said on Tuesday that Gaza hospitals received 38 bodies and 190 wounded people over the previous 24 hours, raising the overall toll since the war began 65,382 killed and 166,985 injured.
Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people on October 7, 2023.
The Israeli government said the assault on Gaza city was necessary to achieve its goal of eliminating Hamas and recovering about 50 hostages still held by the militants out of about 250 seized during the 2023 attack.
The assault has forced hundreds of thousands of the city's estimated one million population to flee south, where the Israeli military claims to have created a humanitarian zone where tents, food, water and medical services will be available. Others, like Momen Fazys, a journalist, have chosen to stay in the city, despite the situation being "very difficult".
“I didn’t leave Gaza before and I don’t want to leave it now,” he told The National. “If we abandon Gaza and it becomes emptied, we will never come to it again. No one will return to it and it will be lost on top of what has already been lost."
He said those who refused to leave during previous attacks were the ones responsible for the return of those who had fled. “They foiled the displacement project the first time and with God’s will they will foil it again.”
Others want to leave but struggle to find transport. “My husband tried with several drivers who promised to come but in the end asked us to pay more, which we couldn’t afford,” Wijdan Hassouna, a 42-year-old mother of six, told The National.
“Finally, we found a small car and he asked for 3,000 shekels [$897]. I accepted immediately because last night was terrible, the shelling and sound of bombing made you feel the morning would never come.”
With limited space in the vehicle, she was forced to leave most of her belongings behind. “Even so, I don’t know where to go. I will stay with my brother in his tent until I can manage a place for us.”
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
liverpool youngsters
Ki-Jana Hoever
The only one of this squad to have scored for Liverpool, the versatile Dutchman impressed on his debut at Wolves in January. He can play right-back, centre-back or in midfield.
Herbie Kane
Not the most prominent H Kane in English football but a 21-year-old Bristolian who had a fine season on loan at Doncaster last year. He is an all-action midfielder.
Luis Longstaff
Signed from Newcastle but no relation to United’s brothers Sean and Matty, Luis is a winger. An England Under-16 international, he helped Liverpool win the FA Youth Cup last season.
Yasser Larouci
An 18-year-old Algerian-born winger who can also play as a left-back, Larouci did well on Liverpool’s pre-season tour until an awful tackle by a Sevilla player injured him.
Adam Lewis
Steven Gerrard is a fan of his fellow Scouser, who has been on Liverpool’s books since he was in the Under-6s, Lewis was a midfielder, but has been converted into a left-back.
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
The struggle is on for active managers
David Einhorn closed out 2018 with his biggest annual loss ever for the 22-year-old Greenlight Capital.
The firm’s main hedge fund fell 9 per cent in December, extending this year’s decline to 34 percent, according to an investor update viewed by Bloomberg.
Greenlight posted some of the industry’s best returns in its early years, but has stumbled since losing more than 20 per cent in 2015.
Other value-investing managers have also struggled, as a decade of historically low interest rates and the rise of passive investing and quant trading pushed growth stocks past their inexpensive brethren. Three Bays Capital and SPO Partners & Co., which sought to make wagers on undervalued stocks, closed in 2018. Mr Einhorn has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the poor performance this year, while remaining steadfast in his commitment to value investing.
Greenlight, which posted gains only in May and October, underperformed both the broader market and its peers in 2018. The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.4 per cent, including dividends, while the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index, an early indicator of industry performance, fell 7 per cent through December. 28.
At the start of the year, Greenlight managed $6.3 billion in assets, according to a regulatory filing. By May, the firm was down to $5.5bn.
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Film: Raid
Dir: Rajkumar Gupta
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D'cruz and Saurabh Shukla
Verdict: Three stars
Abu Dhabi Card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 1,400m
National selection: AF Mohanak
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 90,000 1,400m
National selection: Jayide Al Boraq
6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 100,000 1,400m
National selection: Rocket Power
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh 180,000 1,600m
National selection: Ihtesham
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 1,600m
National selection: Noof KB
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 2.200m
National selection: EL Faust
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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.
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
