From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, November 7, 2023
Five aircraft fly out of Abu Dhabi as plans for UAE hospital in Gaza get underway
The United Arab Emirates is setting up a field hospital in the Gaza Strip with some 150 beds, a surgery department and intensive care units for adults and children.
Five aircraft flew out of Abu Dhabi for Arish in northern Egypt carrying equipment and supplies for the facility, WAM news agency says.
It says the hospital will be set up in multiple stages, without providing an exact timetable.
An official contacted by AFP said there was no immediate information on how the equipment will be transferred to Gaza, where there is only one operational border point, the Rafah crossing near Arish.
The hospital’s facilities will include anesthetics and surgery, gynecology and intensive care units “catering to both children and adults,” WAM says.
The wealthy Persian Gulf country has previously said it would provide $20 million in aid to the Palestinian people and bring about 1,000 Palestinian children, along with their families, to the UAE for medical treatment.
