Online registration opens for UAE medics to volunteer in war-hit Gaza

Health workers have been invited to support major humanitarian operation

Smoke rises as displaced Palestinians take shelter at Al Shifa hospital. Reuters

A Palestinian girl wounded in Israeli strikes waits for treatment at Al Shifa hospital, in Gaza city. Reuters

Flames rage in a field near the border village of Burj Al-Mamluk, in southern Lebanon's Khiam plain, after an Israeli bombardment. AFP

Smoke rises after air strikes during direct combat between the Israeli army and Hamas, near the beach road in Gaza city. EPA

Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, looking for safety, camp on the grounds of Al Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

People search through buildings, destroyed during Israeli air strikes in Khan Younis, Gaza. Getty Images

Israeli troops during operations in northern Gaza. AFP

A photo taken from the Israeli side of the border with Gaza shows the continued Israeli bombardment of the northern Gaza Strip. AFP

Palestinian men pray over the bodies of members of the Abu Taim family before burial in Khan Younis. AFP

Israeli soldiers stand amid rubble during the ground invasion against Palestinian militant group Hamas, in the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters

A woman and two children evacuated from Gaza walk on the tarmac at the Baza 90 air force base in Otopeni, Romania, after arriving from Egypt. AP

Gazans inspect the Khaled bin Al-Walid Mosque, which was destroyed during Israeli air raids in Khan Younis. Getty Images

Residents flee from Al Shatea refugee camp during combat between the Israeli army and Hamas in Gaza city. EPA

An artillery unit moves near the border with Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel. Getty Images

Smoke rises during direct combat between the Israeli army and militants of the Ezz Al-Din Al Qassam militia, the military wing of the Hamas movement, at the beach road in west-centre Gaza City. EPA

People search for survivors and bodies after a building was hit by Israeli bombing in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

A boy learns his father has been killed in an Israeli air strike at a hospital in Khan Younis. Reuters

Israeli soldiers training in the upper Galilee region, near the border with Lebanon. AFP

Destruction in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from Sderot in southern Israel. Reuters

A girl looks on as bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes are laid out at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Reuters

Mourners pray next to the bodies of members of the Daher family, who were killed by Israel strikes, at the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters

A satellite image shows the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Reuters

People search through the rubble of buildings destroyed during Israeli air raids in Khan Younis. Getty Images

Smoke rises over the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from Sderot. Reuters

An ambulance transporting injured Palestinians to Egyptian hospitals for treatment waits on the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing. Reuters

Palestinian doctor Mohammad Abu Namoos, who chose to stay in Gaza to treat patients, says goodbye to his family before they leave. Reuters

The funeral of three children and their grandmother killed in an Israeli air strike in Blida, Lebanon. EPA

Palestinian children denouncing the killing of children in Gaza by waving banners and flags during a sit-in protest at the Shatila refugee camp in Beirut. AFP

Men pray during a rally in support of Palestinians outside Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York. AFP

A teddy bear symbolising hostages and missing children is placed on a bench in Tel Aviv, as people gather for a vigil to mark the one-month anniversary of the October 7 attack by Hamas militants on Israel. Reuters

A survivor of the Nova Festival attack, May Hayat, takes cover as rocket sirens sound, during her first visit to the scene of the attack, near Re'im, Israel. Reuters

Palestinians flee Gaza city to the southern Gaza Strip on Salah al-Din street in Bureij. AP

A satellite picture showing the Rafah border crossing to Egypt. AFP

People gather in Tel Aviv for a candlelit vigil to mark the one-month anniversary of the October 7 deadly attack by Hamas militants on Israel. Reuters

Doris Liber, whose son Guy Iluz is being held hostage in Gaza, during a press conference with House Republicans at the Capitol in Washington. AP

Palestinians flee to the southern Gaza Strip on Salah al-Din Street in Bureij. AP

Mourners attend the funeral of four Palestinians killed by Israeli troops at Tulkarm refugee camp, in the occupied West Bank. EPA

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza

Medical workers in the UAE are being invited to provide support to embattled civilians in Gaza as part of a major humanitarian operation.

The Department of Health on Friday announced the launch of an online registration platform for healthcare professionals keen to lend a helping hand to relief efforts.

The medical assistance is central to the UAE's Gallant Knight 3 Operation, established by President Sheikh Mohamed this week to help those affected by the Israel-Gaza war.

The health authority called on people to sign up for the "noble initiative" in a message on social media, accompanied by a link to the portal.

Medics can register to be volunteers here.

Volunteers are asked to provide contact details, including their name, phone number and Emirates ID, and to indicate whether they wish to work in Gaza, in Egypt or are prepared to provide help in both areas.

Sheikh Mohamed on Sunday ordered the Joint Operations Command of the Ministry of Defence to establish an on-the-ground relief campaign in the Gaza Strip.

He directed the command to work alongside UAE humanitarian organisations, including the Emirates Red Crescent, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation and Zayed bin Sultan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, under the Gallant Knight 3 operation.

At least 10,818 people have been killed in Gaza since the war broke out.

Israel launched air strikes on or near at least three hospitals on Friday, further stressing the Palestinian enclave's precarious health system as it struggles to cope with thousands of injured or displaced people.

UAE offers solidarity

The UAE has also announced plans to set up a field hospital in the Gaza Strip as casualties continue to mount after a month of war.

Sheikh Mohamed ordered the fully equipped hospital to be erected as part of the Gallant Knight 3 initiative, state news agency Wam reported.

The 150-bed hospital, to be established in stages, will house several departments focused on the care of adults and children.

The UAE on Thursday sent 25 tonnes of food, medical and relief aid to alleviate the suffering of people in Gaza.

The shipment will be unloaded in Al Arish, Egypt, before being sent across the Rafah crossing to Gaza.

The UAE has repeatedly condemned Israel's war on Gaza and called for an immediate ceasefire to protect civilian lives.

Sheikh Mohamed previously directed that 1,000 Palestinian children be brought to hospitals in the UAE for treatment. They are to be accompanied by their families.

The head of state last month allocated $20 million in humanitarian aid for Palestinians.

The aid was to be delivered through the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Officials said this was part of the UAE’s policy of providing immediate relief and support to vulnerable populations in times of crisis.

Health workers pledge support

The UAE’s Burjeel Holdings and Response Plus Holding (RPM) have already joined forces with Egypt’s Cleopatra Hospitals Group to provide care at a 60-bed field hospital near the Rafah crossing.

Two Gazan medics told The National of their desire to help their homeland after signing up to provide emergency care for children who have escaped the conflict.

Registered nurse Ilham Altarabeen, 31, from Gaza, only recently started work in Abu Dhabi.

"I don't think I could stand by and not volunteer," she told The National this week. "I want to be next to my people. They need all the help they can get."

Mohammed Ghaben, 25, also a registered nurse who has been working at Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi for almost a year, said being away from his family has been far harder than being in Gaza.

Mr Ghaben, one of eight siblings, said he has not been able to make contact with his family, who are all in Gaza, for a few days. He lost a cousin three days ago in the war, as well as a few of his friends.

"I am very excited to go back to volunteer. This is not only a medical duty but a humanitarian one as well," he said.

"The people of Gaza are in the most dire need of assistance – how can I not rush to their help?"