First planeload of wounded Palestinian children from Israel-Hamas arrives in United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi, Nov 18: The first planeload of Palestinian children wounded in the Israel-Hamas war raging in the Gaza Strip reached the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, part of a pledged relief effort by the country to aid 1,000 children.
The group of 15 people, including children and their family members, made it across the Gaza Strip's Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Friday. They then took a flight to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirates.
Young children lay asleep on their moms' laps as the plane finally landed at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Some of the seats of the plane were removed to make room for the most critically wounded children, who needed to lie on stretchers.
Some of the young had bandaged arms and legs. Others sat quietly next to their parents or relatives. Some traveled alone. The mood was somber and quiet inside the plane. Many of the mothers said they were exhausted.
Twelve-year-old Amr Jandieh, his eyes welling up with tears, said he traveled to the Emirates alone.
"My dad, uncle, and I were talking on the street," Jandieh said. "My uncle was killed. My dad was injured ... all of a sudden a missile hit and I lost consciousness. I woke up and found myself in the hospital."
Mohammed Abu Tabikh, 14, was one of the more seriously wounded children on the plane. He suffered injuries to his neck and spine when a car he was traveling in was hit in a strike.
"When I got injured, I felt shock. And then I stopped moving," he quietly said before being brought carefully out of the plane.
Nabila Mahmoud traveled from the Gaza Strip with her 17-year-old daughter Rawan, who suffered a broken pelvis. Mahmoud said their house was hit by a direct missile and 13 of her family members were killed.
The war, now in its seventh week, was triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people.
Israel's ongoing retaliatory military strikes on Gaza has so far killed more than 11,400 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children, according to Palestinian health authorities. Another 2,700 have been reported missing, believed buried under rubble.
The UAE a federation of seven emirates on the Arabian Peninsula also home to Dubai has diplomatic relations with Israel following a 2020 recognition deal.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
'Blood in river' rant: Owaisi reminds Bilawal of Benazir Bhutto's killing by homegrown terrorists
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Apr 28 (PTI): AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday criticised Pakistani politician Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for his "blood would flow in rivers" remark, reminding him of the killing of his mother, Benazir Bhutto, by home-grown terrorists.
He also referred to former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi as a "joker" for his statement on the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists.
The Hyderabad MP said Pakistan should be placed on the 'grey list' of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and advocated for cyber attacks against the neighbouring nation.
When asked about Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari's statement against India following its withdrawal from the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), Owaisi remarked that Bhutto-Zardari should question who was responsible for his mother's death, emphasising that "she was killed by such homegrown terrorists."
Former Pakistan PM Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
After India suspended the IWT, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari declared, "The Indus is ours and will remain ours—either our water will flow through it, or their blood."
Speaking to reporters, Owaisi said his party- the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen- supports the Centre's decision to suspend the IWT.
However, he raised concerns about where the water from the Indus River would be stored after the treaty's suspension, stating, "It has to be stored somewhere."
Under the World Bank-brokered treaty, India was granted exclusive rights to the water of the eastern rivers -- the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi -- amounting to an average annual flow of about 33 million acre-feet (MAF). The water of the western rivers -- the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab -- with an average annual flow of around 135 MAF, was largely allocated to Pakistan.
With the treaty now put in abeyance, the government is looking at ways to utilise the water of the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.
Owaisi asserted that Pakistan should be placed on the FATF grey list to highlight its financing of terrorism through illegal means.
He also urged the government to launch cyber attacks against Pakistan, citing Article 51 of the UN Charter, which provides the right to act in self-defence.
Additionally, he demanded that the Narendra Modi government rethink its deterrent policy since incidents like the Pahalgam attack were taking place even after airstrikes.
Reiterating his support for the Centre's decisions, Owaisi remarked, "Pakistan should understand that India's defence budget is bigger than their entire budget. They are 20 years behind India. The politicians there just keep blabbering. That country is facing internal issues. They can't manufacture medicines for malaria but keep talking about fighting India."
Speaking on the Waqf Amendment Act, Owaisi opposed its provisions, arguing that they violated the Constitution.
Regarding the inclusion of non-Muslims on Waqf boards, he questioned, "Wouldn't it be painful if we asked for non-Hindus to be included in the Pandharpur temple trust?"
#WATCH | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra | On Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's "Blood will flow" remark after Pahalgam attack, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi says,"...Bachpane ki baatein nahi karna..His mother was killed by their homegrown terrorists...Does he even know what he is… pic.twitter.com/yVn7jegwKn
— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2025
