UAE convoys to Gaza reach the 100 mark, with more than 20,000 tonnes of aid delivered

Milestone figure reached by Gallant Knight 3 campaign since November

Palestinians rush to intercept humanitarian aid packages as they land in the northern Gaza Strip, dropped by a UAE plane in a joint effort with Egypt. All photos: AFP

Men carry boxes of aid through the rubble of damaged buildings after the airdrop

The packages are a lifeline for many amid the continuing war in the Gaza Strip

A youth carries a box of aid to his family

The additional supplies – including food – were sent by parachute into remote areas

The UAE has been donating humanitarian relief to Gaza since shortly after the latest war began

A man collects this aid package from the UAE-Egypt airdrop

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A total of 1,000 lorries loaded with humanitarian aid sent by the UAE has entered Gaza from Egypt through the Rafah border crossing since November to help those affected by the war in the enclave.

The lorries were part of 100 aid convoys carrying more than 20,000 tonnes of urgent supplies since the UAE launched its aid mission, Gallant Knight 3, on November 24.

“The medical aid includes a number of essential medical supplies, medicine, food parcels, Emirati dates, shelter tents, food supplies, clothes, water, baby formula, parcels for children and women, blankets, relief bags, ambulances, and water tanks and sewage systems,” state news agency Wam reported.

After the invasion of the Rafah region in Gaza, four aid convoys crossed the borders carrying 320 tonnes of supplies including shelter tents and food parcels for the displaced families and those affected by the difficult conditions and lack of necessities of life.

“The health sector was also supported with 16 tonnes of medicines and medical supplies," Wam reported.

The Emirates has also set up 12 warehouses at a logistics base in the Egyptian city of Al Arish, where it is stockpiling tonnes of essential aid, including nappies, blankets, canned food, flour, rice and medicine.

The depots are packed with vital goods as a direct result of the goodwill and generosity of the UAE public since the outbreak of the war.

Thousands of volunteers gathered across the UAE in October to pack aid boxes for Palestinian people under the Compassion for Gaza campaign.

Under operation Gallant Knight 3, the UAE also established a number of projects to help those in need, including a field hospital in the southern Gaza Strip and the floating hospital.

Figures released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in June showed the Emirates had provided 33,100 tonnes of urgent supplies to Gaza since November.

The UAE has also set up five automatic bakeries and six desalination plants that produce 1.2 million gallons of clean water a day for 600,000 people in the Gaza Strip daily.

At least 3,380 tonnes of relief supplies were also sent to isolated parts of Gaza by aid drops.

The UAE's aid is part of international attempts to relieve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza after more than nine months of war.