Emirates Humanitarian City hosts evacuees from China’s Hubei province

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The evacuees, from various Arab countries, are currently undergoing medical testing and monitoring at EHC in Mussafah Industrial Area, about 30 kilometers from the city center. (WAM)
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The evacuees, from various Arab countries, are currently undergoing medical testing and monitoring at EHC in Mussafah Industrial Area, about 30 kilometers from the city center. (WAM)
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The evacuees, from various Arab countries, are currently undergoing medical testing and monitoring at EHC in Mussafah Industrial Area, about 30 kilometers from the city center. (WAM)
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The evacuees, from various Arab countries, are currently undergoing medical testing and monitoring at EHC in Mussafah Industrial Area, about 30 kilometers from the city center. (WAM)
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The evacuees, from various Arab countries, are currently undergoing medical testing and monitoring at EHC in Mussafah Industrial Area, about 30 kilometers from the city center. (WAM)
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The evacuees, from various Arab countries, are currently undergoing medical testing and monitoring at EHC in Mussafah Industrial Area, about 30 kilometers from the city center. (WAM)
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Updated 05 March 2020
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Emirates Humanitarian City hosts evacuees from China’s Hubei province

  • More than 200 Arab nationals currently undergoing monitoring for coronavirus in Abu Dhabi
  • Evacuation was organized by UAE foreign ministry in cooperation with embassies

DUBAI: Two hundred and fifteen Arab nationals evacuated from China’s Hubei province — where the coronavirus outbreak is believed to have originated —are currently in quarantine in Emirates Humanitarian City (EHC) in Abu Dhabi, according to WAM, the UAE’s official news agency.

A plane equipped with HEPA cabin air filtration systems, medical supplies and evacuation equipment carried out the airlift on March 4.

The evacuees, from various Arab countries, are currently undergoing medical testing and monitoring at EHC in Mussafah Industrial Area, about 30 kilometers from the city center.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the UAE Embassy in China coordinated with the embassies of relevant countries to organize the evacuation process, the WAM report said.

Earlier, Mattar Al-Nuaimi, medical response team leader at Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health, told WAM that the evacuees would be met from the plane by on-site medical teams and would undergo initial medical tests.

They would then be transferred to EHC’s preventive care center and placed under quarantine for 14 days — the average incubation period of the COVID-19 virus, according to Al-Nuaimi.

Dr. Saif Jumaa Al-Dhaheri, director of safety and prevention at the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA), said Emirates Humanitarian City has all necessary equipment to ensure that individuals are provided with a comfortable environment, while receiving the best possible medical care, and that it can accommodate hundreds of families, “ensuring their safety, privacy and security.”

Public- and private-sector entities in the UAE joined forces to set up the preventive care center within 48 hours, according to WAM.

The center houses entertainment facilities — both indoor and outdoor, medicines, food and other essential supplies and medical equipment, the report said.

Commenting via Twitter on the evacuation, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan said, “I share in the UAE’s commitment to the greater good of humankind as we evacuate foreign nationals in Hubei. They will receive the best medical care before they return home. We thank the Chinese government for its assistance.”


Spain highlights importance of Gaza reconstruction

Palestinian prime minister, Mohammed Mustafa, and the Spanish foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares. (AP)
Updated 9 sec ago
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Spain highlights importance of Gaza reconstruction

  • Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway

RAMALLAH: The Palestinian prime minister, Mohammed Mustafa, and the Spanish foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, on Friday discussed the latest developments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
During their telephone conversation they emphasized the need to intensify international efforts to end the Israeli occupation and halt attacks and settler violence, and to secure the release of Palestinian funds held by Israeli authorities.
They affirmed the importance of ongoing efforts relating to plans for the reconstruction of Gaza, and Europe’s significant role in this process. Mustafa and Albares highlighted the need to unify Palestinian institutions in Gaza with those in the West Bank, with the aim of establishing a Palestinian state in line with international resolutions, including last year’s New York Declaration.
They also discussed coordination between their countries, and the strengthening of Spain’s political, diplomatic and financial support for Palestine, and Mustafa thanked Spain for its ongoing support.
Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway. Estephan Salameh, the Palestinian finance and planning minister, is set to visit Spain this month to discuss enhanced cooperation, particularly in the areas of development and reconstruction. Meanwhile, Israel continues operating in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Prisoners media office said on Friday that Israel carried out numerous raids across the territory, including the major cities of Ramallah and Hebron, according to The Associated Press.
Nearly 50 people were detained, following the arrest of at least 50 other Palestinians on Thursday, most of those in the Ramallah area.
As 2026 begins, the shaky 12-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has largely ended large-scale Israeli bombardment of Gaza. 
But Palestinians are still being killed by Israeli fire, especially along the so-called Yellow Line that delineates areas under Israeli control, and the humanitarian crisis is compounded by frequent winter rains and colder temperatures.
On Friday, American actor and film producer Angelina Jolie visited the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. 
The only crossing between the territory and a country other than Israel, it remains closed despite Palestinian requests to reopen it to people and aid.
Jolie met with members of the Red Crescent on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing and then visited a hospital in the nearby city of Arish to speak with Palestinian patients on Friday, according to Egyptian officials.
Aid groups say not enough shelter materials are getting into Gaza during the truce.