UAE Humanitarian Ship Carrying 4,000 Tonnes Of Gaza Aid Docks At Egypt’s Al Arish Port

A UAE humanitarian ship carrying more than 4,000 tonnes of relief supplies for Gaza has docked at Egypt’s Al Arish Port.

The vessel, known as the Saqr Humanitarian Ship, sailed from Ras Al Khaimah on January 22 and arrived in Egypt on Friday.

The ship was sent under the direction of Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, as part of the UAE’s humanitarian support mission for Gaza under Operation Chivalrous Knight 3.

The cargo includes essential food supplies, shelter materials, winter clothing, medicines, medical consumables, equipment and dates.

The aid is intended to help meet urgent needs in Gaza, particularly among children, women and the elderly, who have been heavily affected by the conflict.

According to Ahmed Rashid Al Zaabi, Secretary-General of the Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Charity and Humanitarian Foundation, the shipment contains more than 4,000 tonnes of relief items and was sent as a humanitarian gesture from the UAE to the people of Gaza ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.

After the ship docked at Al Arish Port, UAE humanitarian teams began unloading the supplies and moving them to the UAE’s humanitarian logistics centre in the city.

From there, the aid will be prepared for entry into Gaza in coordination with relevant authorities and humanitarian partners.

Hamad Obaid Al Zaabi, the UAE’s Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative to the League of Arab States, highlighted the role of the UAE teams stationed in Al Arish, noting their work in supporting the delivery of aid to Gaza and ensuring assistance reaches those in need.

This ship is the 12th relief vessel sent by the UAE to support Gaza since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023.

The conflict started after Hamas and allied groups carried out an attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and led to the abduction of around 240 others.

Israel responded with a large-scale military operation in Gaza, which has destroyed much of the area and killed at least 71,000 people.

A ceasefire agreed in October brought a halt to two years of fighting, allowing limited humanitarian access into the territory.

The partial reopening of the Rafah crossing, the only crossing point between Egypt and Gaza, has allowed around 165,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid to enter the territory.

However, humanitarian organisations say this amount remains far below what is needed to address the scale of the crisis.

Lana Al Wreikat, Gulf director of Unicef, recently pointed out that Gaza’s humanitarian needs remain extremely high, citing severe malnutrition, disrupted education, a growing number of unaccompanied children and reduced social services. She stressed that relying on a single aid route is not enough to meet the needs of the population.

The UAE has continued to play a major role in delivering humanitarian assistance to Gaza since the conflict began, using sea and land routes as international efforts continue to focus on maintaining the ceasefire and expanding aid access.

References: thenationalnews, wam

Source: Maritime Shipping News