About one in 10 patients with gunshot wounds in Gaza were hit in the head, say doctors who claim the war is more violent than anything they have witnessed.
A panel of 78 overseas doctors working in Gaza – most of them from the UK – compiled data based on medical records and hospital notes to reveal the “soldier-like” injuries suffered by civilians between August 2024 and February 2025.
The injury patterns were “unusually severe”, suggesting the use of munitions designed for maximum tissue destruction, the doctors said.
The extent of traumatic injury across several areas of the bodies reflects “the impact of indiscriminate aerial and heavy explosive bombardment in civilian areas”, the study found.
“The pattern of injuries in Gaza reflects an extreme form of high energy trauma rarely observed in civilian populations,” the doctors wrote in a paper published in the British Medical Journal. "The volume, distribution and military-grade severity of injuries indicate patterns of harm that exceed those reported in previous modern-day conflicts.
The ratio of injuries to civilians caused by explosives during the study period of the war, 67 per cent, was similar to US military records of combatants injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Cases of malnutrition in 20 per cent of patients was in line with UN-backed data when famine was declared in Gaza in July, the report said.
The panel included British surgeons Nick Maynard and Nizam Mamode who have previously given eye witness accounts of the war in Gaza to the government and MPs, and plastic surgeon Victoria Rose, whose videos of life as a doctor in the Gaza Strip in May were widely publicised.
More than 65,500 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its military campaign "to eradicate Hamas" after the attacks of October 7, 2023, the Palestinian Health Ministry says.
The report “vindicates” the testimonies of people in Gaza, the doctors said, as Israel continues to deny it is targeting civilians and causing famine in the strip.
“First-hand testimony from healthcare workers and victims in Gaza has been vindicated," Dr Rose said. "These findings should ring alarm bells through the halls of government worldwide and the humanitarian community."
Overall, 23,726 trauma-related injuries have been reported at hospitals during the Gaza war, of which 18 per cent were burns.
Significant injuries were also reported to the head, chest and limbs. More than one in 10 burns were fourth degree, meaning they penetrated human tissue down to the bone.
Almost four in 10 patients with gunshot wounds were shot in the arms or legs, with more than a quarter hit in their limbs on both sides.
Dr Nidal Jboor, of Doctors Against Genocide, said: “This shocking study blows the lid off Israel’s conduct in its genocide in Gaza. The high proportion of gunshot wounds to both limbs proves its military is shooting civilians to maim."
Malnutrition was exacerbating patients' chanced of recovery, with the report highlighting “delayed wound healing and preventable deaths from otherwise treatable conditions”.
The study was based on a survey carried out between August 2024 and February 2025, by doctors from the UK, US, European Union countries and Canada.
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."
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 390bhp
Torque: 400Nm
Price: Dh340,000 ($92,579
'Brazen'
Director: Monika Mitchell
Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
Rating: 3/5
Florence and the Machine – High as Hope
Three stars
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
