Israel bombs roads leading to hospitals in Gaza after ordering evacuation


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Israel has destroyed roads leading to the Gaza Strip's main hospitals after giving a final warning to the occupants to evacuate immediately.

The warning came amid heavy shelling overnight, mostly in the north, as Israeli troops press into the besieged enclave with ground assaults.

Israeli rockets landed near the hospital on Sunday evening, destroying roads and access, though the main building remains intact.

Air strikes hit areas near Gaza's Al Shifa Hospital, which is sheltering thousands of displaced Palestinians.

Chief military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari on Monday said the military had killed dozens of militants overnight, without giving details of the location of ground forces.

The death toll among Palestinians has passed 8,000, mostly women and children, the Gaza Health Ministry said. More than 1.4 million people in Gaza have fled their homes.

Medical staff from Al Quds Hospital said they received the warning to evacuate at 9pm on Sunday.

Several senior staff members and nurses at the Palestinian Red Crescent-run Al Quds Hospital were called by Israeli forces, Mohammad Abu Sabbah, PRC spokesman in Gaza, told The National.

"One of [the calls] was to the head of the hospital from the Israeli army," he said.

The hospital official told the man that 14,000 civilians, 100 staff members and 110 people injured and recovering were sheltering in the building, as well as at least seven children in incubators and 10 people in the intensive care unit.

"An hour later, an area 40 metres away was hit in an air strike, causing damage to parts of the hospital and the evacuation of one of the wings to another part of the facility," he said.

Mr Abu Sabbah said 70 per cent of the people taking shelter in the hospital were women and children.

"And the number of people taking shelter goes up at night because they come in from the UNRWA schools nearby, which are no longer safe because the staff running these facilities have fled to the south of Gaza," he said.

Al Quds Hospital's general manager told The National people who had been discharged returned when the shelling began.

"It is unsafe for them to leave," he said.

Images on social media showed Israeli tanks advancing on a main road in Gaza.

An official from the International Committee of the Red Cross said there was concern over warnings directed at Al Quds, which is managed by the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

“The hospital is protected and relocating the significant numbers of injured, ill, those with mobility challenges, individuals in intensive care and others is not feasible,” ICRC Middle East's spokeswoman Jessica Moussan told The National.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said the hospital was overwhelmed, with about 500 patients and more than 12,000 displaced civilians seeking refuge.

“There are babies in incubators and individuals receiving oxygen,” she said. “A viable evacuation alternative is essential. Currently, no such option exists in Gaza.”

Faris Al Jawad, Doctors with Borders (MSF), communications manager, told The National that evacuating hospitals in Gaza is impossible for medical staff.

"Our staff are staying to provide life saving care in Al Quds and Al Shiffa hospitals," he said, adding that "It’s an impossible choice for our doctors to leave and choose their lives over the lives of the patients."

Mr Al Jawad said MSF continues to call for a ceasefire and for desperately needed supplies as basic necessities are running out.

"There is a huge shortage of medical supplies such as painkillers and morphine are really running low. Some surgeons and doctors have had to do amputations without proper anesthesia," he said.

During the last 24 hours, the Israeli military said it has targeted more than 600 Hamas fighters in the past few days amid expanded ground operations in the Gaza Strip.

About 20 Palestinians were killed in overnight clashes in Gaza with Israeli forces, Palestinian medical officials said.

Palestinian militants clashed with Israeli forces in a border area near the city of Khan Younis in the south, reports said.

From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

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Indoor Cricket World Cup

Venue Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23

UAE squad Saqib Nazir (captain), Aaqib Malik, Fahad Al Hashmi, Isuru Umesh, Nadir Hussain, Sachin Talwar, Nashwan Nasir, Prashath Kumara, Ramveer Rai, Sameer Nayyak, Umar Shah, Vikrant Shetty

Poland Statement
All people fleeing from Ukraine before the armed conflict are allowed to enter Poland. Our country shelters every person whose life is in danger - regardless of their nationality.

The dominant group of refugees in Poland are citizens of Ukraine, but among the people checked by the Border Guard are also citizens of the USA, Nigeria, India, Georgia and other countries.

All persons admitted to Poland are verified by the Border Guard. In relation to those who are in doubt, e.g. do not have documents, Border Guard officers apply appropriate checking procedures.

No person who has received refuge in Poland will be sent back to a country torn by war.

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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.”

The biog

Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns

Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins

Food of choice: Sushi  

Favourite colour: Orange

Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
  • Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
  • Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
  • Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
  • Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
  • Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
  • Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
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Scores in brief:

Day 1

New Zealand (1st innings) 153 all out (66.3 overs) - Williamson 63, Nicholls 28, Yasir 3-54, Haris 2-11, Abbas 2-13, Hasan 2-38

Pakistan (1st innings) 59-2 (23 overs)

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Updated: October 30, 2023, 1:02 PM