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Pakistan cricket team in Australia without a doctor

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Karachi: Visa and passport issues have left the national senior cricket team in Australia without a doctor and the under-19 side in the UAE without a team manager.

Sohail Saleem, who was named as the official team doctor for the series in Australia and New Zealand, is yet to join the team.

“The Pakistan Cricket Board is still trying to get a visa for Dr Saleem and as soon as it comes he will join the side in Australia in time for the first Test in Perth,” a reliable source in the PCB said.

He said similarly former Test batsman, Shoaib Muhammad, who was named manager of the Pakistan junior side taking part in the Asia Cup in UAE, has also been unable to leave with the squad.

“Shoaib had some expired passport issues which the board is sorting out and hopefully he will also soon reach UAE to take charge,” the source said.

Ironically even the off-spinner, Sajid Khan, who is set to replace Abrar Ahmed in the Pakistan squad in Australia has also had his departure delayed due to visa issues.

The source admitted before naming the officials in any touring squad, the board should make it certain they will leave with their teams on schedule.

The North Korean leader calls for women to have more children to halt a fall in the birthrate

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The North Korean leader calls for women to have more children to halt a fall in the birthrate
North Korean leader Kim Jong

Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said it is a duty of women to halt a fall in the country’s births in order to strengthen national power, state media said Monday, as his government steps up the call for the people to have more children.

While getting a detailed read on North Korea’s population trends is extremely difficult because of the limited statistics it discloses, South Korea’s government assesses that the North’s fertility rate has declined steadily for the past 10 years. That is a concerning development for a country that depends on mobilized labor to help keep its broken, heavily sanctioned economy afloat. Kim’s latest appeal for women to have more children was made Sunday during the country’s National Mothers Meeting, the first of its kind in 11 years.

“Stopping the decline in birthrates and providing good child care and education are all our family affairs that we should solve together with our mothers,” Kim said in his opening speech.

According to South Korea’s government statistics agency, North Korea’s total fertility rate, or the average number of babies expected to be born to a woman over her lifetime, was at 1.79 in 2022, down from 1.88 in 2014. The decline is still slower than its wealthier rival South Korea, whose fertility rate last year was 0.78, down from 1.20 in 2014. South Korea’s fertility rate, the lowest in the developed world, is believed to be due to a potent cocktail of reasons discouraging people from having babies, including a decaying job market, a brutally competitive school environment for children, traditionally weak child care assistance and a male-centered corporate culture where many women find it impossible to combine careers and family.

While North Korea is one of the poorest nations in the world, the change in its demographic structure is similar to that of rich countries, some observers say. “Many families in North Korea also don’t intend to have more than one child these days as they know they need lots of money to raise their kids, send them to school and help them get jobs,” said Ahn Kyung-su, head of DPRKHEALTH.ORG, a website focusing on health issues in North Korea. Ahn, who has interviewed many North Korean defectors, said the smuggling of a vast amount of South Korean TV dramas and movies in the past 20 years that showed an elevated social status for women has also likely influenced women in North Korea not to have many children.

North Korea implemented birth control programs in the 1970-80s to slow a postwar population growth. The country’s fertility rate recorded a major decline following a famine in the mid-1990s that was estimated to have killed hundreds of thousands of people, the Seoul-based Hyundai Research Institute said in a report in August. “Given North Korea lacks resources and technological advancements, it could face difficulties to revive and develop its manufacturing industry if sufficient labor forces are not provided,” the institute report said. According to North Korean state media reports this year, the country has introduced a set of benefits for families with three or more children, including preferential free housing arrangements, state subsidies, free food, medicine and household goods and educational perks for children.

South Korea’s statistics agency estimates the North’s population at 25.7 million. The Hyundai institute report said that North Korea was expected to experience a population shrink from 2034 and forecast its population would decrease to 23.7 million by 2070.

Ahn, the website head, said that Kim Jong Un’s repeated public appearances with his young daughter, Ju Ae, are also likely be efforts to encourage families. Other experts said the daughter’s appearances were more likely an attempt to show she’s her father’s heir.

11 bodies recovered after volcanic eruption in Indonesia, and 22 climbers are still missing

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Padang : The bodies of 11 climbers were recovered Monday after a furious eruption of the Mount Marapi volcano as Indonesian rescuers searched for at least 22 others reportedly missing.

Mount Marapi in Agam district in West Sumatra province spewed thick columns of ash as high as 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) into the sky in a sudden eruption Sunday and hot ash clouds spread several miles (kilometers). Villages and nearby towns were blanketed by tons of volcanic debris.

About 75 climbers started their way up the nearly 2,900-meter (9,480-foot) mountain on Saturday and became stranded.

Eight of those rescued Sunday were rushed to hospitals with burn wounds and one also had a broken limb, said Hari Agustian, an official at the local Search and Rescue Agency in Padang, the provincial capital.

West Sumatra’s Search and Rescue Agency head Abdul Malik said rescuers on Monday morning found 11 bodies of climbers as they searched for those who still missing and rescued three others.

“The evacuation process of the bodies and survivors are still ongoing,” he said, adding that rescuers are still searching for 22 climbers reportedly still missing.

One in 12 hospitals globally face climate risks India tops

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DUBAI: On the eve of COP28 Health Day, a new study on Saturday from London said one in 12 hospitals worldwide will be at high risk of total or partial shutdown from extreme weather events by the end of the century, which is a total of 16,245 hospitals. Among all the countries, India tops with over 5,000 hospitals at risk.

Ironically, as this paper reported earlier, India is not engaging in health talks at COP28 and didn’t sign the Declaration on Climate and Health released on Saturday. A total of 124 countries signed the declaration, according to an official document.

“Also, encourage global finance providers, including development banks, to strengthen the synergies between their climate and health portfolios, and enhance their support for country-led projects and programs in the health-climate nexus. Not participating in these engagements, India is telling the world that the health of its citizens is not a priority,” a COP28 observer told this paper.

In the press conference on Saturday, COP28 Director-General Majid Al Suwaidi said for the first time a health day was being observed at the UNFCCC climate summit and “we will see new announcements on health climate finance programmes from countries. United action to scale and get ahead of disasters will be the focus.” Unfortunately, India will not be part of this engagement.

Meanwhile, the hospital study was done by a climate risk analysis organisation XDI that evaluated how continued emissions would affect flooding, sea-level rise, fire risk and storms at the locations of 200,000 hospitals.

In India, the proportion of hospitals at high risk of being shut down by extreme weather events would be 5.7% by 2050 and would affect almost 1 in 10 (9.6%) hospitals by the end of the century if emissions are high. India would be the country with, by far, the most hospitals at risk of damage from extreme weather events by 2100, with 5,120 hospitals at high risk. The number of hospitals analysed in India was 53,473, the highest among the 50 countries included in the study. Russia, with 13,596 hospitals, was the second, according to the report.

“Our analysis shows that without a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels, the risks to global health will be exacerbated further, as thousands of hospitals become unable to deliver services during crises,” said Dr Karl Mallon, Director of Science and Technology, XDI (Cross Dependency Initiative).

Of the 16,245 hospitals identified as high-risk, 71% (11,512) of them are in low and middle-income countries. Limiting global warming to 1.8 degrees Celsius with a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels would halve the damage risk to hospital infrastructure compared to a high emissions scenario. If emissions are high, the risk of damage to hospitals around the world from extreme weather will increase more than four-fold (311%) by the end of the century. In a low emissions scenario, this increase in risk is reduced to just 106%, the report said.

South East Asia has the highest percentage of hospitals at high risk of damage from extreme weather events in the world. With high emissions, almost 1 in 5 hospitals (18.4%) in South East Asia will be at high risk of total or partial shutdown by end of the century. Hospitals located on coastlines and near rivers are most at risk. Today, riverine and surface water flooding dominates the risk of damage to hospitals.

Ronaldo walks off to chants of ‘Messi! Messi!’ as Al-Nassr loses 3-0 to Al-Hilal in Riyadh derby

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RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo walked off the field with the gleeful chants of “Messi! Messi!” ringing in his ears from delighted Al-Hilal fans who had just watched their Saudi Pro League team beat the Portugal superstar’s Al-Nassr 3-0 in the Riyadh Derby on Friday.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner may have finished on the losing team — Aleksandar Mitrovic scored twice after fellow Serbian Sergej Milinkovic-Savic opened Al-Hilal — but Ronaldo still remains the focus of attention in Saudi Arabian soccer despite the taunts of opposition fans referencing his great rival of nearly two decades.

When Ronaldo warmed up, there were cheers from the several thousand away fans, many of whom had No. 7 on their backs, and jeers from the masses of home supporters. But even in those hostile sections, parents pointed out the 38-year-old soccer great to sons and daughters.

Saudi soccer has not been the same since the former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward completed a move last December. Even fans of Al-Hilal, the most successful club in Saudi Arabia and Asia, with 18 and four championships respectively, acknowledge what he has done at Al-Nassr which has nine domestic titles.

“He has lifted the level of the whole of football here,” Riyadh resident Fahad Al-Qahtani, 25, told The Associated Press. “Al-Hilal will still be champion this season and we are still the biggest in Asia but Ronaldo has been amazing.”

In the previous 14 games of the league season, Ronaldo had netted 15 goals to top the scoring charts and help Al-Nassr move into second in the league behind Al-Hilal. His teammates now include former Liverpool star Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic from Inter Milan and Alex Telles, who arrived from Manchester United.

“Cristiano is an example for everyone, an example that Al-Nassr are lucky to have,” Al-Nassr coach Luis Castro said. “He is an example of rigor, ambition and discipline. Lots of people want to be like Cristiano Ronaldo but few want to work like Cristiano Ronaldo. If you want something you have to give everything to get it.”

Ronaldo tried everything on Friday. In the second half with Al-Nassr trailing by a solitary goal, he shot a fierce volley high into the net but it was marginally ruled out for offside. Soon after he rolled around the floor of the Al-Hilal penalty area claiming that he had been elbowed. When Mitrovic scored his first and Al-Hilal’s second late in the game, Ronaldo insisted that he had been fouled in the buildup.

Hilal has its own superstar but a less influential one right now as Neymar, who signed from Paris Saint-Germain in August, suffered a serious injury while on international duty with Brazil in October.

On social media, Neymar posted good luck messages to his teammates, such as Mitrovic, midfielder Ruben Neves and defender Kalidou Koulibaly who all arrived in the summer as highly rated English Premier League players. They joined several Saudi Arabian internationals in the team such as Salem Al-Dawsari and Saleh Al-Shehri, who scored against Lionel Messi’s Argentina in Saudi Arabia’s famous 2-1 win at the 2022 World Cup.

The derby defeat on Friday left Al-Nassr seven points behind leader Al-Hilal after 15 rounds. Ronaldo may have his work cut out to help his team win title No. 10 but, given his form so far this season, he may still have the last laugh with the Messi chants fading away.

Ronaldo’s day was further soured with news from the U.S. that he has been hit with a class-action lawsuit seeking at least $1 billion in damages for his role in promoting cryptocurrency-related “non-fungible tokens,” or NFTs, issued by the beleaguered cryptocurrency exchange Binance.

South African lawmakers vote in favor of closing Israel’s embassy and cutting diplomatic ties

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JOHANNESBURG: A majority of South African lawmakers on Tuesday voted in favor of a motion calling for the closure of the Israeli embassy and the cutting of diplomatic ties until Israel agrees to a cease-fire in Gaza.

The vote on the motion supported by the ruling African National Congress party came as President Cyril Ramaphosa in a meeting with other world leaders accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza with its military offensive in the besieged territory in search of its Hamas militant rulers.

The motion tabled by the opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters received the support of 248 parliament members while 91 lawmakers opposed it.

The vote came after Israel’s foreign ministry said it had recalled its ambassador to South Africa, Eliav Belotserkovsky, back to Jerusalem “for consultations.”

The two countries’ diplomatic relations have witnessed a rise in tensions over the war in Gaza. Ramaphosa previously said his country believes Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza, where thousands of Palestinians have been killed.

South Africa announced last week that it had referred what it called Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza to the International Criminal Court for an investigation. Its cabinet has called on the ICC to issue an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Earlier this month, South Africa recalled its ambassador to Israel and withdrew all its diplomatic staff.

Ramaphosa’s new comments Tuesday came in a virtual meeting of BRICS countries attended by leaders of the bloc including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Israel-Hamas war began after the Palestinian militant group’s surprise attacks on Israel on Oct.7 killed about 1,200 people. Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Gaza have killed more than 12,700 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Israel forces search Gaza hospital as civilians stranded inside

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Israeli forces were searching building to building at Gaza’s main hospital Thursday as Hamas said the military had “destroyed” parts of the compound where deep concern has mounted for the up to thousands of Palestinians trapped inside.

Soldiers raided the Al-Shifa a day ago in the hunt for a command centre they say the militants built below the complex, a charge denied by Hamas and leaders of the hospital that has become a focal point of the war.

“The soldiers are proceeding one building at a time, searching each floor, all while hundreds of patients and medical staff remain in the complex,” an Israeli army official said.

Ashraf Al-Qudra, spokesman for the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, told AFP Israeli troops “destroyed the radiology service, and bombed the burns and dialysis departments”.

“Thousands of women, children, sick and wounded are in danger of death,” he said.

Before Israel first sent troops into the hospital complex on Wednesday, UN agencies estimated that 2,300 patients, staff and displaced civilians were sheltering at Al-Shifa without enough food, water and fuel for generators.

Israel has vowed to eradicate Hamas in retaliation for the attacks of October 7, which killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and saw about 240 people hostage, according to Israeli officials.

The Israeli military says 51 of its troops have been killed in Gaza since fighting began.

But with the Hamas government media office saying the death toll from the offensive has now topped 11,500, including thousands of children, calls for a truce are mounting.

Gaza’s 36 hospitals have been caught in the war, with more than half rendered non-functioning by shortages, combat and damage, the UN has said.

The Red Crescent said a “violent attack” was underway on Gaza’s Al-Ahli hospital, which was hit by a deadly strike on October 17.

Hamas blamed the blast on Israel, while Israel said a misfired Islamic Jihad group rocket was responsible, a position supported by US and some other western security officials.

“Israeli military tanks besiege Al-Ahli Baptist hospital in Gaza, and violent attack is underway. (Red Crescent) teams are unable to move and reach those who are injured,” the group said on social media.

The UN Security Council on Wednesday set aside deep divisions over the conflict to agree a resolution calling for “urgent and extended humanitarian pauses” in fighting.

The resolution — which passed with abstentions from the United States, Britain and Russia — called on Hamas and Israel to protect civilians, “especially children”.

Israel has agreed to temporary localised pauses in fighting, but has rejected calls for a broader ceasefire.

“The @UN Security Council’s resolution is disconnected from reality and is meaningless,” Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, wrote on X.

He also reiterated the Israeli government’s war aims, saying: “Israel will continue to act until Hamas is destroyed and the hostages are returned.”

The Israeli foreign ministry called Thursday on the Security Council and the international community to “stand firm on the prompt release” of all those kidnapped.

“Extended humanitarian pauses are untenable as long as 239 abductees remain in the hands of Hamas terrorists,” it said.

Israel has concentrated its heavy bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza City, announcing this week the seizure of the parliament building, government offices, Hamas police headquarters and key port.

Israel’s army claimed an initial raid in Al-Shifa had uncovered military equipment, weapons and what spokesman Daniel Hagari described as “an operational headquarters with comms equipment”.

A video narrated by another Israeli army spokesman showed rifles and ammunition magazines inside an area he identified as Al-Shifa’s MRI scanner building.

“This was hidden very conveniently, secretly behind the MRI machine, said the spokesman, Jonathan Conricus.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza argued Wednesday the Israeli military did not find any weapons when it raided the hospital.

The death and suffering in the densely populated coastal territory has prompted growing concern for Gaza’s civilians, who have fled south to try to escape the heaviest combat.

Gaza City’s Al-Quds Hospital was evacuated during fighting in the area, forcing patients to make their way south to other facilities.

“We were in pain along the road… I feel pain in the knee,” said Ahmad Abou-Sabra, wounded evacuee.

“The situation was bad, and the distance. We stayed in the army (checkpoint) for more than two hours,” he told AFP at a Palestinian Red Crescent hospital in Khan Yunis.

Over a month after the Hamas attack, mourners gathered for the funeral of 74-year-old Israeli-Canadian peace activist Vivian Silver whose killing was confirmed days ago.

“Vivian was a woman who believed in peace. She was a woman who, in moments of despair, would bring us back the hope,” peace activist Ghadir Hani said. “She believed that, both in Gaza and around Gaza, we all deserve to live in peace.”

Call for war probe
UN human rights chief Volker Turk pointed to what he called serious allegations of international law violations in the Israel-Hamas war and suggested an international investigation was needed.

“Where national authorities prove unwilling or unable to carry out such investigations, and where there are contested narratives on particularly significant incidents, international investigation is called for,” he said in a briefing to UN member states in Geneva.

Polls in Israel show widespread public support for military action against Hamas following the October 7 attacks, the worst in the country’s history.

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Netanyahu, who has led Israel on-and-off for 16 years, is under intense domestic pressure to account for political and security failings surrounding the attack.

Protesters have taken to the streets demanding greater efforts to free the hostages.

Waugh-supported centre for children bat for Australia

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Steve Waugh's donation ensures the children get involved with tertiary study and vocational training and later get placements in various sectors. (Photo | Udayan)

KOLKATA:  Legendary former Australian captain Steve Waugh got associated with Udayan, a residential centre for the rehabilitation of leprosy patients’ children on the outskirts of Kolkata, 25 years ago. A meeting with Mother Teresa in the city in 1996 inspired him to begin charity work and a couple of years later he decided to help out children of leprosy patients through the non-government organisation.

Since then the association as one of the patrons of the NGO has only grown with the World Cup-winning captain also making sure he visits the centre whenever he is in the country. The last visit he made to the centre located at Sewli Telinipara village, Barrackpore, was in 2020 when the centre celebrated its 50th anniversary.

With Australia playing South Africa in their all-important semifinal in the city on Thursday, the children have decided to cheer for the team from Down Under which once was led with great pride by their philanthropist. “The children are not visiting the stadium for the match. Instead, they will watch it live on a projector at our recreation centre,” Dipak Sahu, director of Udayan, told this daily.

As Waugh is not here at the venue, where his team once famously won its maiden World Cup with him being an integral part of it, the children wanted to send a message saying they are standing firm behind the team from his country. “At the moment, the NGO is supporting 113 girls and 157 boys. All of them along with us will watch the match and cheer for the Aussies. We have been certified by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) India and Waugh donates around Rs 40 lakh to `50 lakh every year through it to Udayan,” informs Sahu.

The centre aims at providing children quality education including tertiary study and training like nursing, mechanics and physiotherapy which in turn provides them job opportunities. Waugh’s donation ensures the children get involved with tertiary study and vocational training. “His donation helps us impart employment-based training to children which in turn helps them land jobs and make a living out of it. He is one of our patrons and his continued support is one of the reasons we are able to deliver year after year,” signed off Sahu.

Mohamed Muizzu, to be sworn in as Maldivian president, vows to expel Indian troops, says will not allow China, any other nation to replace them

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FILE: Mohamed Muizzu speaks during an election campaign rally in Thinadhoo on September 26, 2023, ahead of the second round of the Maldives' presidential election. (Photo | AFP)

The Maldives’s incoming president Mohamed Muizzu has vowed to expel Indian troops after taking office later this week.

“Maldives is too small to be entangled in geopolitical rivalry,” the president-elect said in an interview on the strategically located Indian Ocean archipelago. “I am not very much interested to engage the Maldivian foreign policy in this.”

Muizzu’s election success in September hinged on a sustained campaign against India’s outsized political and economic clout in the Maldives, and specifically his pledge to eject Indian forces.

But he said he will not allow China — or any other nation — to replace them, and dismissed reports of him being closer to Beijing. He insists he is only “pro-Maldives”.

“We are going to work together with all the countries, India, China and all other countries as well,” the 45-year-old leader, who will be sworn in on Friday, said at his home in the capital Male.

Known for its pristine beaches and secluded resorts as one of the most expensive holiday destinations in South Asia, the Maldives has also become a geopolitical hotspot.

Global east-west shipping lanes pass the nation’s chain of 1,192 tiny coral islands, scattered around 800 kilometres (500 miles) across the equator.

Muizzu was regarded as a proxy of pro-China former president Abdulla Yameen, who had shifted the country heavily into Beijing’s orbit till his 2018 defeat.

Muizzu said he hoped to begin formal negotiations with New Delhi on the withdrawal of an estimated 50 to 75 Indian personnel, a sensitive campaign issue.

“The people of the Maldives did not vote for me to allow any military presence in the Maldives,” the British-educated civil engineer added.

“That is why we are talking with the Indian government to remove them, and I’m sure we can do that in a peaceful and democratic manner.”

Muizzu said his mandate was to remove a unit of Indian security personnel, deployed to operate three aircraft gifted to the Maldives to patrol its vast maritime territory.

“I’m not asking for the Indian troops to leave our country to make room for any other country to bring their military troops here,” he said.

Regional power India had considered the Maldives with its population of about 380,000 Sunni Muslims to be within its sphere of influence, but had been worried about China’s expanding footprint during Yameen’s administration.

New Delhi has a history of entanglements with Male, including the deployment of soldiers to thwart a 1988 coup attempt.

“For the Maldives, it is very important that we put our interests first… also we want to work together with all the countries, have a good friendly relationship, cordial, candid relationship,” Muizzu said.

The party nominated Muizzu after Yameen was barred from running for office following a criminal conviction of corruption during his five-year term when the country saw a spurt of Chinese-funded construction.

Muizzu, a former housing minister, is credited with implementing Chinese-funded infrastructure projects, including the construction of 7,000 apartments and a landmark bridge linking the capital island Male with the nearby airport island of Hulhule.

“We are situated in a very strategic location, in which many of the sea lanes of communication go across our country,” he said, adding that he was inviting foreign investment to develop ports and logistics as well as set up a tax-free zone.

Muizzu said he was banking on completing the ambitious expansion of the international airport, in a bid to jump-start an economy that was hit by heavy debt and a decline in tourism during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He was hopeful of filling “funding gaps” for the nearly $1 billion expansion of the Velana International Airport, which he sees as a gateway to attracting more foreign direct investment.

But the country’s public and government-guaranteed debt was about $7 billion, or 113.5 percent of GDP at the end of last year, according to official data.

“When we look at the economy, there’s a huge debt that needs to be addressed. The level of confidence of investors to come and invest in Maldives is really low,” Muizzu said.

He said he was keen on expanding ports and harbour-related services to increase domestic earnings, while also looking for debt-free financing for his ambitious economic expansion plans.

In addition, Muizzu said he was seeking up to $500 million in international funding to protect beaches and coral as warming and rising waters threaten his low-lying nation.

Eighty percent of the Maldives is less than a metre (three feet) above sea level, making it one of the countries most threatened by rising sea levels linked to climate change.

The president-elect quoted a report that said 60 percent of corals had been bleached by rising water temperatures.

“Every coral has value, every waterway that is contaminated has a value,” he said, insisting his country must be compensated for “every fish that dies due to global warming”.

Heavy fighting around Gaza’s largest hospital leaves many trapped inside

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Hundreds of patients were trapped and thousands of people sought shelter around Gaza’s largest hospital on Monday, as Israeli troops and Hamas fighters battled near the compound. The Al-Shifa facility in Gaza City has become a focal point in the territory’s bloodiest-ever war, which erupted five weeks ago.

A day after Netanyahu said Israel was bringing its “full force” with the aim of ending Hamas’ 16-year rule in Gaza, residents reported heavy airstrikes and shelling, including around Shifa Hospital.

Israel, without providing evidence, has accused Hamas of concealing a command post inside and under the compound, allegations denied by Hamas and hospital staff.

On Sunday, witnesses at the hospital told AFP that “violent fighting” raged throughout the night. The sounds of small arms fire and aerial bombardments were echoing across the sprawling complex, amid reports that the infirm — including children — were dying for lack of basic provisions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and other UN agencies said as many as 3,000 patients and staff are sheltering inside without adequate fuel, water or food.

Across Gaza City, at the Al-Quds hospital the picture was also said to be dire, with the Palestinian Red Crescent warning it was now out of service due to lack of generator fuel.

Twenty of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are “no longer functioning”, according to the UN’s humanitarian agency.

On October 7, Hamas launched a wave of attacks on Israel that killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians.

Israel’s relentless campaign in response has killed at least 11,180 people in Gaza, including 4,609 children, according to the Hamas government’s media office.

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