Mohammed and Alia El-Basyouni, parents of Nasa engineer Loay El-Basyouni, who are thought to be stuck in Gaza without food and water. Photo: Loay El-Basyouni
Mohammed and Alia El-Basyouni, parents of Nasa engineer Loay El-Basyouni, who are thought to be stuck in Gaza without food and water. Photo: Loay El-Basyouni
Mohammed and Alia El-Basyouni, parents of Nasa engineer Loay El-Basyouni, who are thought to be stuck in Gaza without food and water. Photo: Loay El-Basyouni
Mohammed and Alia El-Basyouni, parents of Nasa engineer Loay El-Basyouni, who are thought to be stuck in Gaza without food and water. Photo: Loay El-Basyouni

Palestinian Nasa engineer's anguish as parents stuck in Gaza without food and water


Anjana Sankar
  • English
  • Arabic

A Palestinian refugee-turned-Nasa engineer has spoken about the heart-rending humanitarian situation being endured by Gaza residents, including his own parents, who are stuck in the densely populated enclave currently under complete siege by Israeli forces.

Loay El-Basyouni, lead electrical engineer on Nasa’s Ingenuity helicopter that flew on Mars, told The National he lost touch with his parents on Saturday and is worried for their safety.

Surgeon Mohammed El-Basyouni, 75, and his wife Alia, 68, both German citizens, were visiting Gaza to meet family members and were supposed to return to Germany next month.

“They are trapped there without food, water, power or food. I cannot reach them as there is no internet,” said Mr El-Basyouni who grew up in the village of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza before moving to the US to pursue engineering.

“I last spoke to them on Saturday and they said they are alive."

Loay El-Basyouni is one of the judges at NYU Abu Dhabi's quantum computing hackathon. Photo: Loay El-Basyouni
Loay El-Basyouni is one of the judges at NYU Abu Dhabi's quantum computing hackathon. Photo: Loay El-Basyouni

'Water used as weapon'

Israel has cut off water and electricity to the 2 million Gazans ahead of a significant “land, air and sea attack” as the 24-hour time limit allowed for residents to move to the south expired on Saturday evening.

“It's very sad when water is used as a weapon, leaving people like my parents without it. This cruel tactic involves controlling water access for political or military reasons, and it goes against international laws,” he wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday after losing contact with his parents.

“I got hold of the German Foreign Ministry, they said they cannot evacuate anyone to this point. Their names are not on the list."

After Israel ordered 1.1 million Gazans living in the north to move to south, Mr El-Basyouni’s parents moved from their family house in Beit Hanoun to Gaza city but they were again asked to evacuate because of the bombings.

“My father cannot walk for long distance because of back surgery last summer,” he said.

“In the face of these challenges, my parents have made the difficult decision to stay. They believe that dying with honour in their home is better than risking their lives on the perilous roads."

He said his parents, along with 70 others, have taken refugee in his father’s old clinic in Gaza. “Tragically, 10 of them left after receiving the evacuation order and were hit by Israeli bombing. It's a dire situation.”

Mr El-Basyouni said he was supposed to travel to Gaza on Sunday – for the first time in more than 20 years – but called off the trip due to the war.

“I was so looking forward to go back home where I grew up. It is a beautiful place and everyone told me that it is safe to go. But now everything has changed.

“It is sad to see governments and individuals encouraging violence instead of stopping it.

“This whole thing looks ridiculous to me. When I look at a picture of Earth from space, I wouldn’t see Palestine, nor would I see Israel. There are no borders to separate people. There is just one Earth.”

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

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Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

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.
Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

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Top financial tips for graduates

Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:

1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.

2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.

3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.

4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.

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Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

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Church of South Indian Parish

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Planes grounded by coronavirus

British Airways: Cancels all direct flights to and from mainland China 

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific: Cutting capacity to/from mainland China by 50 per cent from Jan. 30

Chicago-based United Airlines: Reducing flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong

Ai Seoul:  Suspended all flights to China

Finnair: Suspending flights to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March

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Our legal advisor

Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation. 

Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
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Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

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4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

Racecard

7pm: Abu Dhabi - Conditions (PA) Dh 80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m

7.30pm: Dubai - Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,400m

8pm: Sharjah - Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m

8.30pm: Ajman - Handicap (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 2,200m

9pm: Umm Al Quwain - The Entisar - Listed (TB) Dh132,500 (D) 2,000m

9.30pm: Ras Al Khaimah - Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m

10pm: Fujairah - Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,200m

Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

Updated: October 15, 2023, 10:54 AM`