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UAE confirms record 3,491 new COVID-19 cases, 5 deaths

The UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention said the total number of cases since the pandemic began had reached 260,223, while the death toll rose to 756. (File/WAM)
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Updated 21 January 2021
Arab News
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UAE confirms record 3,491 new COVID-19 cases, 5 deaths

  • UAE says 3,311 have recovered over the past 24 hours
  • Meanwhile 578 new cases and 2 more deaths reported in Kuwait; 135 cases and 2 deaths in Oman
Updated 21 January 2021
Arab News

DUBAI: The UAE on Tuesday recorded 3,491 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the highest daily count since the start of the pandemic, and five more deaths related to the disease.
Officials from the Ministry of Health and Prevention said the total number of cases in the country has reached 260,223, while the death toll stands at 756. A total of 231,675 patients have recovered from the disease, including 3,311 in the past 24 hours.
The ministry reported that more than 2.065 million people have been vaccinated in the UAE, a rate of 20.88 doses per 100 residents. The country is second only to Israel in terms of vaccination rate.
Health officials said the impressive results of the nation’s vaccination effort so far can be attributed to the “success of the COVID-19 national campaign and the great response to the campaign from all members of society.”
Health Minster Abdul Rahman Al-Owais said: “Reaching this record number within a short period reflects the exceptional efforts of our wise leadership in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the concerted efforts of the government and all state institutions and our front-line workers to provide the COVID-19 vaccine for all in various regions of the country.”
He called on all who are eligible for the vaccine to register for it at one of the vaccination centers set up across the country as part of the effort to achieve the goal of immunizing more than 50 percent of the population by April.

In other virus-related news, the Ministry of Education announced that distance learning for schools will continue for an additional two weeks. The decision to extend the duration of the precautionary measure was made in response to the recent increases in daily cases, and in the interests of safeguarding the health of children. Pupils have been studying remotely since the start of the year.
“We have the ability to respond quickly in the smooth transition between physical learning and distance learning for about 1.2 million students,” said ministry spokesman Hazza Al-Mansoori. “With time, our country is increasing its uniqueness and success through the availability of a high-tech, smart educational structure and skilled educational cadres.” He added that students and parents have been very cooperative.
All decisions are based on constantly updated data and statistics, and in coordination with the authorities and leadership of the country, Al-Mansoori said, taking into account the views and opinions of parents and other segments of society. He called on those who work in education to be vaccinated as soon as possible to protect their students, families and society in general.
During daily inspection tours, officials from Dubai Economy issued fines to seven commercial establishments and warnings to another 12 over failures to adhere to COVID-19 precautions.

Dubai Municipality announced it has intensified its inspection campaigns. It said six businesses were ordered to close, 22 were fined and warnings were issued to 51 for not complying with precautionary measures.
Meanwhile, Department of Human Resources in Ajman issued a notice to all government agencies in the emirate informing them that from Feb. 2, all government employees must take a PCR test for COVID-19 every seven days, at their own expense, if they have not received the two doses of the vaccine that are required.
The order came a day after the UAE’s Federal Authority for Government Human Resources issued a notice to all ministries and federal entities amending the procedures for dealing with the pandemic. It also applies to outsourced employees and public-service companies.
Elsewhere, Kuwait reported 578 new cases of COVID-19, raising the total in the country to 158,822. The death toll rose to 950 after two additional deaths were reported in the previous 24 hours.

Oman’s health ministry confirmed 135 new cases and two deaths, bringing the national totals to 132,146 and 1,516, respectively.

In Bahrain the death toll stands at 362 after two more deaths were reported. The number of confirmed cases in the country increased by 320.

Topics: UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention COVID-19 Coronavirus Abdul Rahman Al-Owais UAE Ministry of Education vaccine Ajman Human Resources Department UAE Federal Authority for Government Human Resources Kuwait Bahrain Oman

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UN to vote again on Gaza ceasefire, US plans unclear

Updated 3 sec ago
AFP
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UN to vote again on Gaza ceasefire, US plans unclear

  • The few resolutions that the United States did allow to pass by abstaining stopped short of calling for an unconditional and permanent ceasefire
  • The latest draft of the resolution demands “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in the war between Israel and Hamas
Updated 3 sec ago
AFP
United Nations: The UN Security Council is expected to vote Wednesday on another draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in its latest attempt to exert pressure to end the war.
But the draft could be blocked by the United States, Israel’s main ally.
The latest draft of the resolution demands “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in the war between Israel and Hamas and “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”
The wording has angered Israel and raised fears of a US veto.
Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon has called the text “shameful,” adding: “We cannot allow the UN to tie the hands of the State of Israel from protecting its citizens, and we will not stop fighting until we return all the kidnapped men and women home.”
“For us, it has to be a linkage between a ceasefire and the release of hostages,” said Robert Wood, the deputy US ambassador. “It has been our principle position from the beginning and it still remains.”
The war was triggered by Palestinian group Hamas’s assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, a stunning cross-border raid that resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said the death toll from the resulting war had reached 43,972 people, the majority civilians. The United Nations considers the figures reliable.
Of 251 hostages seized during the October 7 attack, 97 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Almost all of Gaza’s 2.4 million people have been displaced by the war, which has caused a humanitarian catastrophe.
Since the beginning of the war, the Security Council has struggled to speak with one voice, as the United States used its veto power several times, although Russia and China have as well.
The few resolutions that the United States did allow to pass by abstaining stopped short of calling for an unconditional and permanent ceasefire.
In March, the council called for a temporary ceasefire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but this appeal was ignored by the warring parties.
In June, the council pledged support for a multi-stage US ceasefire and hostage release plan that went nowhere.
Some diplomats have expressed hope that following Donald Trump’s election win on November 5, President Joe Biden might be more flexible in the few weeks he has left in power.
They imagined a possible repeat of events in December 2016 when then-president Barack Obama was finishing his second term and the council passed a resolution calling for a halt to Israeli settlement building in the occupied territories, a first since 1979.
The United States refrained from using its veto in this case, a break from traditional US support for Israel on the sensitive issue of settlements.
The draft being voted on Wednesday also calls for “safe and unhindered entry of humanitarian assistance at scale,” including in besieged northern Gaza, and denounces any attempt to starve the Palestinians.
The Palestinian delegation at the UN has suggested this text does not go far enough.
“Gaza’s fate will haunt the world for generations to come,” ambassador Riyad Mansour warned.
He said the only course of action for the council is to call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire under Chapter 7 of the UN charter.
That chapter allows the council to take steps to enforce its resolutions, such as sanctions, but the latest text makes no reference to this option.

Netanyahu says Israel offering $5 mn reward for each Gaza hostage freed

Updated 20 November 2024
AFP
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Netanyahu says Israel offering $5 mn reward for each Gaza hostage freed

  • During Oct. 7, 2023 attack which triggered war in Gaza, Hamas took 251 hostages
  • Of those, 97 are still held in Gaza, including 34 who have been confirmed dead
Updated 20 November 2024
AFP

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel was offering a reward of $5 million to anybody who brings out a hostage held in Gaza.
“Anybody who brings out a hostage will find with us a secure way for them and their family to leave” Gaza, Netanyahu said in a video filmed inside the Palestinian territory, according to his office.
“We will also give them a reward of $5 million for each hostage.”
Wearing a helmet and a bullet-proof jacket, Netanyahu spoke with his back to the Mediterranean in the Netzarim Corridor, Israel’s main military supply route which carves the Gaza Strip in two just south of Gaza City.
“Anyone who dares to do harm to our hostages is considered dead — we will pursue you and we will catch up with you,” he said.
Accompanied by Defense Minister Israel Katz, Netanyahu underlined that one of Israel’s war aims remained that “Hamas does not rule in Gaza.”
“We are also making efforts to locate the hostages and bring them home. We won’t give up. We will continue until we’ve found them all, alive or dead.”
During Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack which triggered the war in Gaza, militants took 251 hostages. Of those, 97 are still held in Gaza, including 34 who have been confirmed dead.

Topics: Israel Gaza Benjamin Netanyahu Arab News Pakistan

Netanyahu says Israel offering $5 mn reward for each Gaza hostage freed

Updated 20 November 2024
AFP
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Netanyahu says Israel offering $5 mn reward for each Gaza hostage freed

  • “Anybody who brings out a hostage will find with us a secure way for them and their family to leave” Gaza, Netanyahu says
Updated 20 November 2024
AFP

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel was offering a reward of $5 million to anybody who brings out a hostage held in Gaza.
“Anybody who brings out a hostage will find with us a secure way for them and their family to leave” Gaza, Netanyahu said in a video filmed inside the Palestinian territory, according to his office.
“We will also give them a reward of $5 million for each hostage.”
Wearing a helmet and a bullet-proof jacket, Netanyahu spoke with his back to the Mediterranean in the Netzarim Corridor, Israel’s main military supply route which carves the Gaza Strip in two just south of Gaza City.
“Anyone who dares to do harm to our hostages is considered dead — we will pursue you and we will catch up with you,” he said.
Accompanied by Defense Minister Israel Katz, Netanyahu underlined that one of Israel’s war aims remained that “Hamas does not rule in Gaza.”
“We are also making efforts to locate the hostages and bring them home. We won’t give up. We will continue until we’ve found them all, alive or dead.”
During Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack which triggered the war in Gaza, militants took 251 hostages. Of those, 97 are still held in Gaza, including 34 who have been confirmed dead.

Topics: War on Gaza Gaza hostages Benjamin Netanyahu

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Turkiye’s Erdogan says Israel’s Herzog was denied airspace en route to Azerbaijan

Updated 20 November 2024
Reuters
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Turkiye’s Erdogan says Israel’s Herzog was denied airspace en route to Azerbaijan

  • “In light of the situation assessment and for security reasons, the President of the State has decided to cancel his trip to the Climate Conference in Azerbaijan,” the Israeli presidency said
Updated 20 November 2024
Reuters

ANKARA: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkiye refused to allow Israeli President Isaac Herzog to use its airspace to attend the COP climate summit in Azerbaijan, highlighting Ankara’s stance amid tensions with Israel.
“We did not allow the Israeli president to use our airspace to attend the COP summit. We suggested alternative routes and other options,” Erdogan told reporters at the G20 Summit in Brazil.
Herzog ended up canceling the visit.
“In light of the situation assessment and for security reasons, the President of the State has decided to cancel his trip to the Climate Conference in Azerbaijan,” the Israeli presidency said. Israel launched a devastating war against Hamas in Gaza a year ago after the Palestinian Islamist group’s deadly cross-border attack.
Turkiye withdrew its ambassador in Israel for consultations after the Gaza war broke out, but has not officially severed its ties with Israel and its embassy remains open and operational.
“But whether he was able to go or not, I honestly don’t know,” Erdogan said on Herzog’s visit to Baku.
“On certain matters, as Turkiye, we are compelled to take a stand, and we will continue to do so,” he said.

 

Topics: War on Gaza Palestine Gaza Lebanon US Turkiye

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Hospital chief decries ‘extreme catastrophe’ in north Gaza

Updated 19 November 2024
AFP
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Hospital chief decries ‘extreme catastrophe’ in north Gaza

  • Kamal Adwan Hospital director Hossam Abu Safiyeh told AFP by phone: “The situation in northern Gaza is that of an extreme catastrophe
Updated 19 November 2024
AFP

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: The World Health Organization expressed grave concern on Tuesday for hospitals still partly operating in war-stricken northern Gaza, where one hospital director described the situation as an “extreme catastrophe.”
“We are very, very concerned, and it’s getting harder and harder to get the aid in. It’s getting harder and harder to get the specialist personnel in at a time when there is greater and greater need,” WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told journalists in Geneva.
She said the organization was “particularly concerned about Kamal Adwan Hospital” in Beit Lahia, where Israeli forces launched an offensive against Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups last month.
Kamal Adwan Hospital director Hossam Abu Safiyeh told AFP by phone: “The situation in northern Gaza is that of an extreme catastrophe.
“We’re beginning to lose patients because we lack medical supplies and personnel,” he said.
Abu Safiyeh added that his hospital had been “targeted many times by the occupation forces, most recently” on Monday.
“A large number of children and elderly people continue to arrive suffering from malnutrition,” the doctor said.
He accused Israel of “blocking the entry of food, water, medical staff and materials destined for the north” of the Gaza Strip.
The WHO’s Harris estimated that between November 8 and 16, “four WHO missions we were trying to get up to go were denied.”
“There’s a lack of food and drinking water, shortage of medical supplies. There’s really only enough for two weeks at the very best,” she said.
A statement from COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body responsible for civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, said Tuesday: “COGAT-led humanitarian efforts in the medical field continue.”
It said that on Monday, “1,000 blood units were transferred” to Al-Sahaba hospital in Gaza City, outside the area where Israel’s military operations are taking place.
In its latest update on the situation in northern Gaza, the UN humanitarian office OCHA said Tuesday that “access to the Kamal Adwan, Al Awda and Indonesian hospitals remains severely restricted amid severe shortages of medical supplies, fuel and blood units.”
 

 

Topics: War on Gaza Palestine Gaza Lebanon USA

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