Director of Indonesia hospital in Gaza and family killed in Israeli airstrike
03 Jul 2025 01:30pm
This picture shows the rubble of a residential house in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on July 1, 2025. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
JAKARTA - The director of the Indonesia Hospital in Gaza, Dr Marwan Al-Sultan, was killed along with members of his family in an Israeli airstrike on their home in Tal al-Hawa, southwest Gaza City, on Wednesday, according to an Indonesian humanitarian organisation.
The Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER‑C), a Jakarta-based non-governmental organisation that operates the hospital, confirmed the deaths in a statement citing information from its local team in Gaza. This picture shows the rubble of a residential house in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on July 1, 2025. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
"With deep sorrow, we announce the death of Dr Marwan and members of his family, following a direct airstrike on their residence,' a local MER‑C volunteer said.
At least nine Palestinians were killed and several others injured in the attack, the organisation said.
Dr Marwan, a Palestinian, was described as a "highly dedicated medical professional' who had served the people of Gaza for many years, particularly during repeated crises and armed conflicts.
"His passing is a profound loss, not only to his colleagues but also to his patients and the wider Gaza community who knew him. May he and his family be granted the best place in the hereafter,' MER-C added.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza condemned the attack, calling it a "heinous crime' against medical personnel.
"Every crime against medical and humanitarian personnel confirms the bloody methodology and the premeditated insistence on directly and deliberately targeting them,' the ministry stated in a statement.
The Indonesian government also expressed its condolences and strong condemnation.
"Indonesia expresses its deep condolences over the passing of Dr Marwan along with his family on July 2, and strongly condemns the Israeli attack,' the Foreign Ministry posted on X.
The statement praised Dr Marwan's "service, commitment, and struggle in the name of humanity and for peace in Palestine,' and said Indonesia was continuing to closely monitor developments at the hospital.
Indonesia reiterated its call for an immediate ceasefire and an end to what it described as "Israel's atrocities'.
The Indonesia Hospital in northern Gaza, funded by Indonesian civil society, has provided critical trauma care since 2016, with Dr Marwan playing a central role in sustaining its operations amid ongoing conflict. - BERNAMA
More Like This
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
11 hours ago
- The Star
Orangutans also need an afternoon nap sometimes, researchers find
Orangutans, just like humans, also need to compensate for lost sleep with naps, according to new research. Watching them snooze was no easy task for researchers, they say. When we humans don't get enough rest at night, the next day we feel the strong urge to take a nap. It turns out that orangutans are no different. "If an orangutan does not get enough sleep, it does what any sleep-deprived human would do: It climbs into bed, lies down and takes a nap," says Alison Ashbury from Germany's Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour (MPI-AB). Ashbury, lead author of the study published in the journal Current Biology, lays out that moving through treetops, finding food, solving problems and maintaining social relationships are all physically and cognitively demanding tasks for orangutans. Wild Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) typically sleep for almost 13 hours per night, according to the research team. However, this duration can reportedly be shorter if other orangutans are sleeping nearby, if the night is particularly cold, or if the animals have travelled long distances during the day. It turns out that, just like us, orangutans also feel the need to take a nap if they haven't had enough sleep the night before. Photo: Robert Michael/dpa Ashbury noted that it was interesting that simply being near other orangutans was associated with shorter sleep durations. "Imagine staying up late when hanging out with your friends, or your roommate snoring so loudly in the morning that you wake up early. I think it's a bit like that," she said. Orangutans may prioritise socialising over sleeping, or their sleep may be disturbed by the presence of others – or both. The researchers observed how long the animals spent in their daytime nests depending on their night-time sleep and found a clear compensatory effect: when the orangutans had slept less at night, their daytime naps were 5 to 10 minutes longer for every hour of lost night-time sleep. On 41% of the observed days, orangutans reportedly took at least one nap, with an average duration of 76 minutes. Additionally, on days when their naps were shorter, they took more naps. "Even a short nap can have a significant restorative effect on humans," said co-author Meg Crofoot, director at MPI-AB. "It is possible that these naps help orangutans recover physiologically and cognitively after a poor night's sleep, just like humans." The study's findings expand the understanding of the evolutionary origins and ultimate functions of sleep. "Why have animals, from humans to primates, spiders and even jellyfish, evolved to spend such a large part of their lives in this vulnerable, unconscious state?" Crofoot asked. The research team analysed the behaviour of adult orangutans at the Suaq Balimbing Monitoring Station on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. They used a long-term dataset on nest usage from 53 animals over 276 nights and 455 days between 2007 and 2021. Compared to other orangutan populations, the Suaq orangutans were found to build daytime nests more frequently. These nests are simpler and quicker to construct – usually in less than two minutes – than night-time nests but still provide a stable and safe place for a nap. Observing the animals while they napped was not easy, the researchers said. An orangutan builds a nest high up in a tree every evening, spending about 10 minutes bending, weaving and breaking branches, supplemented with a mattress of leaves. "From our vantage point on the ground, we usually cannot see orangutans in their night-time nests at all, but we can hear them getting comfortable," explained Caroline Schuppli, a group leader at MPI-AB. "At some point, everything becomes quiet and still. And in the morning, it's exactly the opposite." The researchers interpreted the quiet phase as the sleep phase. – By Tatjana Bojic/dpa
The Sun
11 hours ago
- The Sun
BeauEver Secures NZ Prime Minister's Support in Historic China Summit to Accelerate Global Skincare Expansion
SHANGHAI, CHINA - Media OutReach Newswire - 2 July 2025 - At the 2025 China–New Zealand Trade Innovation Summit, New Zealand Prime Minister, the Right Hon. Christopher Luxon, witnessed the official signing of a strategic partnership between high-end anti-aging brand BeauEver and biotechnology leader The Beauty Lab Collective (TBLC). This milestone partnership deepens economic cooperation between New Zealand and China while promoting the global development of responsible, science-driven skincare innovation. 'This partnership reflects the strength of the NZ–China relationship and our commitment to global innovation,' said Prime Minister Luxon. 'BeauEver represents the best of New Zealand — science, sustainability, and international vision.' The agreement includes the launch of a New Zealand-based Active Ingredient Innovation Center, dedicated to researching marine and botanical compounds native to New Zealand's pristine ecosystems. Through TBLC's certified cruelty-free infrastructure and intelligent manufacturing, BeauEver aims to enhance its capacity to meet the evolving needs of consumers in China and across Southeast Asia. 'Our mission is to become a globally trusted name in cellular anti-aging — where nature meets science, and skincare becomes a meaningful, restorative ritual. This partnership helps us share that philosophy with more women around the world.' said Liam Corkery, General Manager of BeauEver New Zealand. BeauEver's innovation is grounded in more than 40 years of research into bioactive ingredients and cell-level rejuvenation. With dual R&D centers in Switzerland and New Zealand, the brand focuses on holistic skin renewal by supporting mitochondrial vitality, collagen stimulation, and skin-barrier reinforcement. At the heart of its product line is the BeauEver Cell-Reviving Firming and Rejuvenating Essence — a lightweight, high-efficacy formula designed to support skin's natural renewal process. Powered by bio-fermented actives, transdermal collagen delivery, and barrier-enhancing peptides, the essence helps improve the appearance of firmness, radiance, and resilience over time. It embodies BeauEver's brand philosophy: to awaken the body's natural energy and deliver visible results with integrity, science, and care. With a reported 300% year-on-year growth in 2024 in China market, BeauEver is rapidly expanding its global footprint in the premium skincare space — particularly among dermatology clinics, spa professionals, and wellness institutions across Asia-Pacific.
Sinar Daily
12 hours ago
- Sinar Daily
Australian man dies from bat bite
The man in his 50s was bitten by a bat carrying Australian bat lyssavirus several months ago. 03 Jul 2025 01:54pm Photo for illustration purposes only. SYDNEY - An Australian man has died from an "extremely rare" rabies-like infection transmitted by a bat bite, health officials said Thursday. The man in his 50s was bitten by a bat carrying Australian bat lyssavirus several months ago, the health service in New South Wales said. "We express our sincere condolences to the man's family and friends for their tragic loss," NSW Health said in a statement. "While it is extremely rare to see a case of Australian bat lyssavirus, there is no effective treatment for it." The man from northern New South Wales, who has not been identified, was this week listed as being in a "critical condition" in hospital. The virus -- a close relative to rabies, which does not exist in Australia -- is transmitted when bat saliva enters the human body through a bite or scratch. First symptoms can take days or years to appear. Early signs of the disease are flu-like -- a headache, fever and fatigue, the health service said. The victim's condition rapidly deteriorates, leading to paralysis, delirium, convulsions and death. There were only three previous cases of human infection by Australian bat lyssavirus since it was first identified in 1996 -- all of them fatal. People should avoid touching or handling bats, as any bat in Australia could carry lyssavirus, the New South Wales health service said. "If you or someone you know is bitten or scratched by a bat, you need to wash the wound thoroughly for 15 minutes right away with soap and water and apply an antiseptic with anti-virus action," it said. "Patients then require treatment with rabies immunoglobulin and rabies vaccine." The virus has been found in species of flying foxes and insect-eating microbats, NSW Health said. The type of bat involved in the latest fatality has not been identified. - AFP More Like This
