H.H. Sheikh Mohammed orders additional aid for Gaza

Additional relief supplies for Gaza have been airlifted from Dubai, following the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

His Highness ordered the dispatch of urgent supplies mobilised by the International Humanitarian City (IHC) in Dubai as part of a vital relief airbridge to Gaza through El Arish Airport in Egypt.

As part of the mission, a plane carrying around 11 metric tonnes of medicines and medical supplies took off early Wednesday for El Arish Airport where the aid consignment is to be transferred to a WHO team, which coordinates onward dispatches into Gaza.

"We are proactively supporting the international community to respond to the ongoing humanitarian emergency and ease suffering in Gaza. The mission of Dubai’s International Humanitarian City resonates deeply with its dedication to saving lives by fulfilling urgent medical needs in coordination with the World Health Organisation," said Giuseppe Saba, CEO of IHC.

The airlift is the first of a series of such missions this year, with three to four additional missions scheduled to deliver desperately needed aid to the people of Gaza.

The shipment will includes essential supplies, such as non-communicable disease kits and medicines in strict compliance with temperature controls during their transportation.

"As the health crisis in the Gaza Strip unfolds and as hostilities in Rafah escalate, these medicines are critical for people whose access to medical care has been severely restricted owing to shortages facing the health system as a whole," said Dr. Hanan Balkhy, the WHO's Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.

The IHC moved swiftly last year to establish an airbridge to facilitate urgent relief supplies to populations affected by the escalating crisis in Gaza.

It facilitated six air shipments within ten days, leveraging its vast network to ensure a rapid response to the crisis.

.@HHShkMohd orders additional dispatch of critical humanitarian supplies to Gaza through relief airbridge. Flight carrying 11 metric tonnes of medicines and medical supplies departs for El Arish Airport in Egypt.https://t.co/9RQu8CXPXY pic.twitter.com/WXAwr0ZN8r

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) February 21, 2024