Towering piles of rubbish, widespread destruction and tents spread out as far as the eye could see greeted UN workers and medical teams as they arrived at Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis for the second stage of a polio vaccination campaign.
The scale of destruction after several Israeli assaults, and the squalid conditions thousands of Palestinians are living in, shocked even local Gazans such as Dr Fady Abed, from the US-based NGO MedGlobal. He was among those who travelled from the central areas of the enclave to carry out the southern phase of the campaign.
"I saw kids playing among piles of garbage taller than the bus we were in," Dr Abed told The National on Friday.
Several UN agencies launched the inoculation drive to curb the spread of the virus, which was eradicated in Palestine 25 years ago. As part of this campaign, an eight-hour humanitarian pause in the fighting is to take effect in areas where vaccine doses are being administered, to allow parents to visit medical centres and enable teams to reach displaced families.
The polio-related pause is the first cessation of hostilities since a week-long truce in December. That allowed for an exchange of hostages in the besieged enclave and Palestinian detainees in Israel, while also giving Gazans a chance to check whether their homes were still standing, even though it put their lives at risk.
The vaccination initiative, which started on Sunday, was launched in central Gaza. Teams moved to south on Thursday and are expected to either extend the vaccine drive in the area or travel north on Saturday, under an agreement with the Israeli army.
Fears over the spread of polio have increased since a child's leg became paralysed after he contracted the virus. The total destruction of wastewater sanitation centres and the complete halt of rubbish collection have exacerbated the problem, especially in southern areas such as Khan Younis and Al Mawasi, where 30,000 people are crowded into every square kilometre.
The UN estimated in July that about 330,000 tonnes of solid waste had been neither buried nor treated in Gaza. A UN official told The National that Israeli forces were blocking access to waste dump sites.
"There's nowhere for us to take the trash," said Louise Wateridge, of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). She added that people were using parts from old cars to fix sewerage pipes as Israel continues to block the entry of piping equipment and tools.
The arrival of vaccination teams at Khan Younis came after a 22-day Israeli operation in the area. The assault, which ended in August, left a trail of destruction and a video shared by Ms Wateridge showed every building had been damaged by Israeli bombardment and shelling.
Dr Abed noted that parents in the area remained fearful their children could be killed when the bombardment resumed at the end of the humanitarian pause, at 2pm local time. But the vast majority still chose to bring their children to vaccination centres.
More than 10,625 children have been killed in Gaza since the war began on October 7, with the overall death toll in the enclave now more than 40,800. At least 10,000 people are missing.
The majority of Gazans, however, seemed eager to get their children vaccinated against polio, despite the risks. "I was astonished at their resilience," Dr Abed said.
Moamen Abu Daba, 29, told The National that a drone fired on him and seven of his family members as they travelled from Al Mawasi to the Saudi neighbourhood to check on their home during the pause. “Thankfully, the missile didn't hit us directly, but it landed nearby," he said. "It was as if the Israeli army was telling us to go back."
But Mr Abu Daba was not unscathed. "I got injured, along with three other men, including my cousin.”
Mr Abu Daba was treated at At Al Nasser hospital. He has nerve damage in his foot and a bone fracture after being struck by shrapnel. “It could have been much worse," he added. "My only goal was to reach our home, check on it, and tell my father that the hard work he poured into that house was still there."
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Expert input
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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
'Outclassed in Kuwait'
Taleb Alrefai,
HBKU Press
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Greenwood 77')
Everton 1 (Lindelof 36' og)
The biog
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Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby
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Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.
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Price, base: Dh198,300
Engine: 2.0L in-line four-cylinder
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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.”
Match info:
Manchester City 2
Sterling (8'), Walker (52')
Newcastle United 1
Yedlin (30')
Kanye%20West
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WORLD RECORD FEES FOR GOALKEEPERS
1) Kepa Arrizabalaga, Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea (£72m)
2) Alisson, Roma to Liverpool (£67m)
3) Ederson, Benfica to Manchester City (£35m)
4) Gianluigi Buffon, Parma to Juventus (£33m)
5) Angelo Peruzzi, Inter Milan to Lazio (£15.7m
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
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
