UAE carries out another critical aid drop to Gaza Strip

It takes the total amount of aid dropped since the launch of Birds of Goodness operation to 3,463 tonnes

The UAE aid drops will help families stranded in parts of the Gaza Strip that are not easy to reach by road. Photo: Wam

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The UAE has carried out its 51st drop of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip as part of Birds of Goodness operation.

According to the Joint Operations Command of the Ministry of Defence, the total amount of aid dropped since the launch of the operation has reached 3,463 tonnes of food and relief supplies.

The aid drops are part of efforts to help families stranded in parts of the Gaza Strip that are not easy to reach by road.

It included food items and essential supplies to cope with the challenging conditions faced by residents of the Gaza Strip, as part of the UAE's continued humanitarian support for the Palestinian people.

According to state news agency Wam, relief drops were temporarily suspended over escalating conflict in the region and as a "precautionary measure to safeguard personnel, facilities and equipment".

The UAE had dropped 38 tonnes of food and relief aid into Gaza on the first day of Eid Al Adha in June. It was carried out by a C17 aircraft belonging to the UAE Air Force.

So far, the UAE has sent tens of thousands of tonnes of humanitarian aid, including crucial medical and food supplies, since the start of the Israel-Gaza war on October 7.

The relief efforts include 104 convoys carrying 20,000 tonnes of aid, in addition to four ships loaded with a further 18,530 tonnes of goods. Another 5,340 tonnes of aid have been sent to Gazans by way of aid drops.

Two hospitals have also been established as part of the UAE's programme to help those in need in Gaza, including one with a centre to provide prosthetic limbs to Palestinians wounded during the war. The field hospital in the southern Gaza Strip has 200 beds and more than 100 doctors, nurses, pharmacists and lab technicians. It has treated thousands of patients since its launch in December.

A 100-bed floating hospital, docked off the coast of the city of Al Arish since February, had already treated about 2,400 Palestinians by July.