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The UAE's field hospital has begun its journey to reach the southern Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs, has confirmed.
An Emirati medical team will supervise the field hospital and provide medical care to injured Palestinians, as part of Gallant Knight 3, the UAE's humanitarian operation.
"Today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the start of the process of introducing the integrated Emirati field hospital into the southern Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing to provide the necessary medical support to the Palestinian brothers in the Strip," Sheikh Abdullah said on Friday.
"The Emirati field hospital is part of the UAE's efforts to alleviate the suffering of our Palestinian brothers and support the health system in the Gaza Strip," he said.
The 150-bed hospital will be established in several phases and includes several departments focused on the care of adults and children.
The hospital will include "departments of general surgery, orthopaedics, children and women, anaesthesia, and intensive care for children and adults, in addition to clinics in internal medicine, dentistry, a psychiatric clinic, and family medicine."
Sheikh Abdullah added that CT scan services will be available, as well as a laboratory and pharmacy.
The announcement comes as Hamas released 13 Israeli hostages on Friday along with 12 Thai nationals it has been holding since the October 7 attack.
Israeli media reported that the International Committee of the Red Cross said it had received the Israeli hostages and was transporting them to the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
This is the first batch of hostages Hamas has released as part of a temporary truce that came into effect on Friday morning.
More than 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza have faced heavy and continuous Israeli air strikes and ground assaults since the October 7 attack by Hamas.
The group killed about 1,200 Israelis and took more than 200 hostage. Israel's retaliatory attacks on the enclave have killed more than 14,500.
The temporary truce, mediated by Qatar, will allow more aid to reach the millions of Palestinians trapped in the enclave.
Latest from the Israel-Gaza conflict – in pictures
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Smoke ammunition fired by Israeli troops near the border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel. AFP -
Israeli soldiers react during the funeral of Capt Liron Snir at the Mount Herzl military cemetery, Jerusalem. Reuters -
Egyptian paramedics transport a Palestinian child arriving from Gaza to an ambulance at the Rafah border crossing. AFP -
An Israeli tank appears through a soldier's night vision scope near the Gaza Strip in southern Israel. Getty Images -
A Palestinian mother holds her newborn in a maternity hospital in Rafah, after he was evacuated from Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city. Reuters -
Israeli artillery train its guns towards the Gaza Strip in Southern Israel. Getty Images -
A family watch news updates on the Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners swap deal, near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Reuters -
People demonstrate outside the Kyria defence complex as the political cabinet hold a meeting in Tel Aviv, Israel. Getty Images -
A wounded Palestinian child is carried into Nasser Hospital following an Israeli bombardment on Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip. AP -
An Israeli soldier takes position behind a wall in Gaza, as Israel's war against Hamas continues. Reuters -
Palestinians mourn their relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, at a hospital in Khan Younis. AP -
People receive bags of flour at a distribution centre of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), in the Rafah refugee camp. AFP -
Israel's military transports Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip, near Israel's border with Gaza, in southern Israel. Reuters -
Palestinians amongst the rubble of a building destroyed by an Israeli air strike in Khan Younis, Gaza. Bloomberg -
Thomas Hand, father of Emily Hand, during a press conference by family members of hostages in Gaza, at the Israeli embassy, London. Getty Images -
A man consoles a young Palestinian girl at Nasser Medical Hospital, Khan Yunis, Gaza. Getty Images -
A mother covers her daughter as a siren signals incoming rockets launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, in Tel Aviv. Reuters -
Palestinian medics care for babies evacuated from Al Shifa Hospital to the Emirates Hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP -
A child collects firewood in a camp provided by the UN for displaced Palestinians who lost their homes in Israeli raids, in Khan Yunis. EPA -
Personal items recovered from the Supernova music festival on display for family and relatives to collect in Caesarea, Israel. Getty Images -
Palestinians flee the Zeitoun district, southern Gaza Strip, as battles between Israel and Hamas continue. AFP -
Thousands gathered at the State Library for the weekly protest in support of Palestinians in Melbourne, Australia. Paul Stafford / The National -
Palestinian rescuers evacuate an injured woman following an Israeli air strike in Khan Younis refugee camp. AP -
A rally to call for a ceasefire held at Dorchester Square in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. AFP -
Palestinians flee to the southern Gaza Strip along Salah al-Din Street, during the ongoing Israeli bombardment. AP -
Palestinians check taxis that were hit by the Israeli military along Salah al-Din Street, on the outskirts of Gaza city. AP -
Thousands of Palestinians flee to the southern Gaza Strip along Salah al-Din Street. AP -
Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip amid the continuing ground operation against Hamas. Reuters -
Palestinians search for survivors in the rubble of a building following Israeli bombardment in Khan Yunis. AFP -
Palestinians injured in air strikes arrive at Nasser Medical Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza. Getty Images -
Palestinians collect books from the rubble of a cultural centre following an Israeli strike in Rafah. AFP -
Notices dropped by the Israeli military over Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip calling for those remaining to leave the area. AFP -
A man walks among debris at the site of an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Reuters -
Israeli flags on the top of destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip. AP -
Palestinians line to collect water in Rafah on Saturday, November 18. AP
