UAE's floating hospital starts receiving Gaza patients

By Ibrahim Khazen and Esat Firat

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AA) - The United Arab Emirates began providing medical aid on Sunday to Palestinians wounded in Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, utilizing a floating hospital anchored in Al-Arish Port in northeastern Egypt.

According to the UAE's official news agency WAM, the floating hospital, established as part of the country’s support to Gazans, commenced medical services and began admitting casualties from the Gaza Strip.

The 100-bed hospital is equipped with a comprehensive array of medical facilities including operating and intensive care rooms, a radiology unit, a laboratory and a pharmacy.

It is staffed by a team of 100 medical and administrative personnel spanning various specialties including anesthesia, general surgery, orthopedics and emergency medicine prepared to address the urgent medical needs of those affected by the conflict.

The floating hospital, an extension of the Sahara Hospital, which was inaugurated in Gaza on Dec. 3 last year, features facilities for emergency medical interventions and critical cases, including a helicopter pad and a marine boat.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas, killing more than 29,690 people and causing mass destruction and shortages of necessities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

Hostilities have continued unabated, however, and aid deliveries remain woefully insufficient to address the humanitarian catastrophe.