Gaza: more aid from UAE arrives after Israel eases blockade

According to The National, 1,039 tonnes of food supplies have arrived in Gaza as part of an ongoing mission by the UAE to support Palestinian citizens and address the aid distribution crisis.

Earlier this year, the UAE’s President Sheikh Mohamed launched Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, which as well as delivering aid packages of essentials including food supplies and shelter tents, carries out initiatives to clear roads and repair wells on the Gaza Strip.

“This latest delivery is part of the UAE’s ongoing support for the people of Gaza, who are enduring dire humanitarian conditions amid severe shortages of essential food items,” said WAM, the UAE’s state news agency.

Israel partially lifted the blockade stopping all humanitarian aid entering Gaza almost three weeks ago, but there are 1.3 million people who need to receive food supplies. The current population of the Gaza Strip is just over 2 million. Since the blockade’s lift, a limited amount of aid has made it through into Gaza, through the United Nations and the private initiative Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

Alongside Chivalrous Knight 3, a Sharjah based charity in the UAE recently began delivering fresh bread and bakery supplies into Gaza as an emergency response to the worsening humanitarian crisis and to help struggling bakeries. The monthly budget for this project is Dh750,000, and affirms the UAE’s commitment to helping displaced Palestinian citizens.

After 20 months, the war has seen over 54,000 Palestinians killed, some of them whilst trying to access aid from humanitarian groups. Hamas is still holding 58 hostages taken during the October 7 attacks, around a third of which are believed to still be alive.

Maghrebi/The National