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A UAE aid ship carrying more than 5,800 tonnes of critical supplies for Gaza docked in Egypt's Al Arish port on Sunday, in the latest show of solidarity with the besieged enclave.
It is the largest aid shipment sent by the Emirates under a humanitarian campaign – called Operation Gallant Knight 3 – launched following the outbreak of the war with Israel in October 7, 2023 and comes as efforts intensify to extend a fragile ceasefire in place since January.
Abdullah Al Falasi, executive director of Dar Al Ber Society, a leading non-profit organisation in the UAE which is supporting the aid drive, emphasised the crucial role being played to help Gazans facing chronic food shortages and limited access to health care services.
“Our society contributed to providing medicine worth Dh14 million to the affected people in Gaza,” said Mr Al Falasi.
The 5,820 tonnes of aid includes food, medicine, medical equipment and shelter materials. The seventh such aid vessel set sail from Al Hamriya Port in Dubai last month.
The major aid delivery – collected with the support of a number of charitable organisations – aims to provide much-needed respite to embattled Palestinians during Ramadan, against the backdrop of a continued humanitarian crisis.
The UAE previously sent 300 tonnes of essential food supplies to Gaza on aid flights in February, ahead of the start of the holy month.
Mohammed Al Shareef, a spokesman for the Operation Gallant Knight 3 campaign, told The National that the aid will be stored in Al Arish before being loaded on to lorries and driven across the border to Gaza.
“It is the largest aid shipment from UAE to our brothers and sisters in Gaza. We continue to intensify our efforts to deliver vital supplies to Gaza Strip in quick and organised procedure,” Mr Al Shareef said.
Launched in 2023 by President Sheikh Mohamed, Operation Gallant Knight 3 has been carried out in collaboration with the Emirates Red Crescent and humanitarian and charitable institutions in the UAE.
More than 65,000 tonnes of aid has been delivered through air, and across sea and land, with close to 600 air trips, seven transport ships and nearly 3,500 lorries used to carry goods from Egypt into Gaza. Additionally, an air drop operation has delivered more than 3,700 tonnes of humanitarian aid by parachute in inaccessible areas.
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At least 48,524 Palestinians have been killed and 111,955 wounded since the deadly conflict began, with the majority of Gaza's 2.2 million population being displaced as many areas have been reduced to rubble by persistent Israeli air strikes.
Mr Al Shareef previously told The National that aid deliveries from the UAE to Gaza were crucial because the picture on the ground in Gaza was so difficult. “It is very important because the situation there is really bad,” he said. “After this long period of war … many people are living in a very bad situation.”
Mr Al Shareef said they expected quicker access and “more quantities” of aid to reach those who needed it now the truce was holding. “We expect to have more lorries going inside,” he said.