UAE to send aid to Gaza following agreement with Israel

The UAE will send urgent humanitarian aid into Gaza to address the needs of 15,000 civilians, in the first phase, following an agreement with Israel.

The agreement was reached during a phone call between His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE, and Gideon Sa’ar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, national news agency Wam reported.

During the call, Sheikh Abdullah affirmed the importance of ensuring the urgent, sustainable, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian, relief and medical assistance to Palestinians.

The aid will also include supplies to support bakery operations and provide essential items for infant care.

It comes as international pressure on Israel intensifies amid renewed military operations by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in the Gaza Strip.

This week, World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that two million people in Gaza are facing starvation.

“Aid reaching Gaza is merely a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed,” said Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, on Tuesday.

Earlier, a spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office in Geneva confirmed that Israel had authorised about 100 aid trucks to enter Gaza.

The territory has been under Israeli air and ground assault since Hamas launched a cross-border attack in October 2023.

The UAE and Israel also discussed efforts to resume a humanitarian truce, achieve a ceasefire and secure the release of hostages.