Cancer patients and children evacuated from ‘catastrophic’ Gaza war zone on mercy mission flight to UAE
The gleaming Etihad Boeing 777 they stepped into could not have made for a more stark contrast from the apocalyptic scene they’ve left behind in Gaza.
And they emerged into the cabin lights looking mostly dazed. One elderly woman hugged the first female cabin crew member she saw.
She had plenty of reason to be both grateful and immensely relieved.
She – like the nearly 200 people slowly boarding with her – was on one of the few flights out of the hell that is Gaza right now – and they had just got a ticket offering their first real chance of survival.
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The flight was one of the first few out of Gaza organised by the UAE
Some seats were removed for those who needed to lie on stretchers
The Sky News team joined them on the flight: one of the first mercy missions organised by the United Arab Emirates to airlift wounded, sick or vulnerable children and families out of the war zone.
So far they’ve taken out two very small groups of eight. This emergency airlift outstripped the others by quite a big margin – nearly 200 patients and accompanying dependants or relatives in what turned into the largest organised so far.
Some of the elderly and sick were pushed in wheelchairs to the foot of the plane and then half carried, half helped up the steps.
Others cradled their babies or held their toddlers close.
Those in wheelchairs were lifted onto the flight
The flight was part of a pledged relief effort by the UAE
Young children were also on the flight
One young girl, aged about 11, was tightly strapped to a stretcher and taken into the body of the aircraft via a hydraulic lift.
We were told she was accompanied by her sixteen-year-old sister.
“She’s very ill,” one of the medics told us, “she was severely dehydrated. We struggled to get a drip inside her and she’s got multiple trauma injuries.”
They said she had a severe brain injury which they believed was caused when the building she was in collapse on top of her. She looked in a very bad way indeed and medics have been waiting to have her airlifted to safety for a few weeks now, we were told.
Many of the passengers are cancer patients – about ninety per cent of the patients admitted onto the plane. Many are thought to have been forced to leave the Turkish cancer hospital after it was bombed.
One orthopaedic surgeon, who herself is suffering from lung cancer, described the humanitarian situation inside Gaza as “catastrophic”.
“There are about 7,000-9,000 badly injured or sick people who urgently need to be taken out of Gaza for medical treatment,” Dr Hanan Azghbi estimated.
She said her own hospital – the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital was overwhelmed with patients lying on floors and filled with people who’d sought refuge there.
It is now one of more than 20 hospitals completely out of action leaving only a fraction still functioning.
The UAE has pledged to aid 1,000 children
“I saw babies with double amputations,” she told us, “There are many, many people who’ve lost limbs. It is a catastrophe,” she repeated.
The medical team of 29 doctors, paramedics and emergency workers had flown into the Egypt-Gaza border unsure of who they were picking up, what the injuries or illnesses were and the extent of them.
So, they filled the plane with a range of medical equipment and medicines designed to help them cope with most eventualities.
Emergency workers had flown into the Egypt-Gaza border unsure of who they were picking up
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They set up a mini-ICU towards the rear of the plane and erected at least ten stretchers positioned over rows of folded aeroplane seats, with resuscitation equipment and drips at the ready.
In the event they needed to use only one of their makeshift stretchers positioned expertly over a series of folded airline seats.
Although later in the flight, they helped a young woman who’d had one of her legs amputated into another.
The doctors and nurses spent some time during the course of the flight administering a variety of medicines to them both including intravenous morphine and anti-dehydration nutrients.
Most of the passengers were able to be helped into their seats with a number receiving the first painkillers they’ve had access to in days or weeks.
Many of the children and babies were exhausted and appeared seriously traumatised with dark shadows under their young eyes.
We saw one very young baby who we were told was a haemophiliac; another had a brain tumour – all the young appeared to be very thin and under weight. Many of them repeatedly asked for water and food.
Most seemed very weak.
The process to this point had been a long and exhausting one – first crossing the war zone to get to the Gaza border then going through extensive security checks which had to pass both Egypt and Israeli measures.
The flight after landing in Abu Dhabi
By the time the patients were being transported to the emergency flying hospital, the plane had been sitting on the tarmac at Arish airport for more than five hours.
The procedure to load these very seriously ill passengers was slow and careful because of their vulnerable conditions.
So much so, the cabin crew went over their maximum flying security limit of sixteen hours and on leaving Arish, the plane had to be diverted to Cairo.
A fresh flying crew was brought in to take over and two hours or so after landing in Cairo, the plane took off again, this time bound for Abu Dhabi in the UAE.
Over the next week or so, the UAE will build a field hospital in Gaza with 150 beds. Compared to the huge numbers needing help right now, it is likely to be extremely busy.
When they landed in Abu Dhabi, there was much hesitation as they made their way down the plane steps. We saw one young woman with tears running down her cheeks.
Others kissed the heads of the waiting volunteers. Even more allowed themselves a smile for the first time since leaving Gaza.
The sick will be placed in a number of hospitals able to receive their specialist care. Most have come with at least one family member accompanying them and these relatives will be accommodated nearby.
It was noticeable what few possessions the passengers arrived with.
Many came away from Gaza carrying just small plastic bags. That is all they’ve been left with.
Many have seen relatives killed and lost their homes, their jobs, their future.
And many left behind whole families in the middle o the warzone. They left Gaza not knowing if they’ll ever be back – and if they do return, just what exactly they’ll return to.
Istanbul has been hit by a powerful 6.2 magnitude earthquake, one of the strongest to strike the city in recent years, Turkish officials have said.
People were seen running out of buildings as the quake shook the city. There is no immediate confirmation of any serious damage or injuries.
The earthquake, which struck at 12.49pm local time (9.49am UK time), had a shallow depth of 10km (about six miles), according to the United States Geological Survey.
The epicentre was some 40km (25 miles) southwest of Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara.
It was preceded by a 3.9 magnitude earthquake at 12.13pm, according to Turkey’s disaster and emergency management agency (AFAD), and followed by several aftershocks, including one measuring 5.3.
Residents were urged to stay away from buildings and reports said the earthquake was felt in several neighbouring provinces – and in the city of Izmir, some 550km (340 miles) south of Istanbul.
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality said there were “no serious cases” after the earthquake in a statement on social media.
Many people gathered in parks as aftershocks continued to be felt. Pic: AP
Kemal Cebi, the mayor of Kucukcekmece district in western Istanbul, told local broadcaster NTV that there were “no negative developments yet”, but he said that there were traffic jams and that many buildings were already at risk due to the density of the area.
Broadcaster TGRT reported that one person had been injured after they jumped off a balcony during the earthquake – which occurred during a public holiday in Turkey.
Transport minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said initial inspections showed no damage to highways, airports, trains or subways.
Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey, as it is crossed by two major fault lines.
In February 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, and a second powerful tremor, left more than 53,000 dead and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings across southern and southeastern Turkey.
A further 6,000 people were killed in the northern parts of neighbouring Syria.
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Residents of Istanbul out on the streets of Turkey’s largest city after the tremors. Pic: AP
While Istanbul largely avoided the devastation wrought by that quake, it heightened fears of a similar, equally destructive episode in the future.
The Vatican has opened St Peter’s Basilica to the public so people can pay their final respects to Pope Francis.
Three days of public mourning will take place before the pontiff’s funeral on Saturday.
The body of Pope Francis was moved to St Peter’s Basilica from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta earlier on Wednesday.
Here are pictures of the procession to the basilica, where tens of thousands of mourners are expected to file past the open casket over the next three days.
The body of Pope Francis was escorted by a procession of solemn cardinals and Swiss Guards
Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
Emotional scenes in St Peter’s Square as the coffin approached the basilica. Pic: Reuters
Large crowds watched Wednesday’s procession. Pic: Reuters
A Swiss Guard stands as people watch in St Peter’s Square. Pic: Reuters
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The body of Pope Francis is carried in a coffin into St Peter’s Basilica. Pic: Reuters
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The procession reaches the final moments in St Peter’s Basilica. Pic: Reuters
The wooden casket was perched on a slight ramp with Swiss Guards nearby. Pic: Reuters
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Pic: Reuters
World
‘Now is our time’: Despite tariffs, China’s Silicon Valley is ready to make its mark on the world
The city of Hangzhou is one of the most historic and beautiful in China.
But this ancient place now has the most modern of reputations, as China’s ‘Silicon Valley’.
A vibrant hub for entrepreneurs and high-tech start-ups, Hangzhou is home to headline-grabbing success stories like Alibaba and breakthrough AI firm, DeepSeek.
In the context of escalating competition with America, the world is increasingly paying attention.
Those who are part of the tech scene here brim with enthusiasm.
Hangzhou, in Zhejiang province, has been labelled ‘China’s Silicon Valley’
Over coffee, in an ultra-modern city complex, they describe how exciting this moment feels, not just for their businesses, but for China too.
“We have the talents, we have the environment, and we have the full supply chain, even though we have a challenging environment,” says Grace Zheng, who has worked at the AI glasses creator Looktech since its inception.
“It’s our time.”
The others laugh and nod. “I agree with it,” says Jia Dou, whose company Wuli Coffee, creates high-tech, automated commercial coffee machines. “And I think it’s our time to show and battle with other foreign countries.”
Grace Zheng is enthusiastic about the future for China
And is that a battle China could now win, I ask? “Of course,” comes the answer.
They tell stories of how estate agents in Hangzhou dedicated hours of their time for free to find the perfect laboratory space, and how the local government showered them in grants and incentives; so hungry is this city for tech success.
These entrepreneurs in Hangzhou say the city supports a vibrant hub of tech start-ups
“Hangzhou says we’ll provide the sunshine and the water, you go ahead and grow,” explains Zhang Jie.
She is the convenor of this group. An entrepreneur herself and the founder of a thriving ‘incubator’ for start-ups, she has invested in and mentored all the others around the table.
She is passionate, energetic and has a second-to-none understanding of what makes Hangzhou and China’s tech scene so successful.
“In China, we have more than 10 million university and college students graduating. Then we’re talking about at least five to six million engineers with college education background,” she says.
“So with such a large group of young and intelligent people with a good environment, a favourable environment for entrepreneurship, I’m sure there will be even greater companies coming in the future.”
Zhang Jie helps start-ups in Hangzhou, where she says entrepreneurship is able to thrive
Indeed, a combination of light-touch local regulation, (unusual in China more broadly), coupled with one of the most business-oriented and free-thinking universities in the country, Zhejiang University, is viewed by many as the secret sauce in Hangzhou.
Zhang says she has had more young people approach her with business ideas in the last quarter than at any other time before, and she is full of optimism about the current wave.
“They are already companies [in China that will] probably be greater than Apple, right?” She laughs.
And she may well be right.
But there is one name in particular, born and bred in Hangzhou, that has captured the world’s attention in recent months.
When DeepSeek unveiled its latest open-source AI model earlier this year, it stunned the world, claiming to be as good as western competitors for a fraction of the price.
The Hangzhou HQ of DeepSeek, which has stunned the world with its recent AI advances
Many are now talking about the ‘DeepSeek moment’, a moment that turbocharged confidence within China and made the rest of the world sit up and take notice.
Indeed, successes like this are being lauded by China’s leaders. In February, tech bosses, including DeepSeek’s founder Liang Wenfeng, were invited to a symposium with Xi Jinping and his top team.
Photo ops and handshakes with the president, an abrupt change from the crackdown they faced just a few years ago. In fact, tech is now being positioned as a key pillar in China’s future economy, repeatedly highlighted in official communications.
But what is seen as inspiring innovation in China is viewed by the United States as a threat.
Donald Trump is moving to ramp up restrictions, including more export controls on chips being sold to China.
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Businesses in Hangzhou are of course aware of the trade war unfolding around them, many who export to America will take a significant hit, but most think they can cope.
Dr Song Ning is one of them. He proudly shows us his factory, which is integrated with the lab work and R&D side of his business.
His company, Diagens, uses AI to massively speed up medical diagnostics, cutting the time taken to run a chromosomal screening from 30 days to 4. He is also working on a chatbot called WiseDiag which has more advanced medical understanding and can be used by patients.
This lab at the firm Diagens is using AI to speed up medical diagnostics
While they are actively seeking business in over 35 foreign countries, for now, the pursuit of American customers is on pause.
“Competition is a good thing… it makes us all stronger,” he says.
Dr Song Ning believes Donald Trump’s policies will not be able to impede innovation
“I do not think by limiting the scientific and technological progress of China or other countries, Trump will be able to achieve his goal, I think it is a false premise.
“Information is so developed now, each country has very smart people, it will only force us to have more tech innovation.”
While individuals remain defiant, the trade war will still leave a big hole in China’s economy. Tech firms, however advanced, can’t yet fill that gap.
But the innovation here is rapid, and there is no doubt, it will leave its mark on the world.
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