New Delhi: As part of its unwavering humanitarian commitment to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the United Arab Emirates, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), has announced an urgent initiative to evacuate 85 sick and severely injured Palestinians, including cancer patients in need of extensive treatment, accompanied by 63 family members to Abu Dhabi from Ramon airport in Israel, via the Karam Abu Salem crossing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of UAE said on Wednesday.
This initiative demonstrates the urgent need for humanitarian intervention and reaffirms the UAE's steadfast commitment to supporting the people of Gaza amidst the catastrophic situation. The UAE’s various lines of communication continue to facilitate the humanitarian efforts to assist the people of Gaza, and extend a helping hand during their time of need, it said.
Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, said, "At this critical time, the urgency of our mission to evacuate injured Palestinians to Abu Dhabi cannot be overstated".
"This unprecedented route reflects the gravity of the situation and our resolute commitment to alleviating the suffering of the people of the Gaza Strip and to ensure the arrival and distribution of relief through all available means, including land, sea and air", added Hashimy.
This initiative stands as a testament to the UAE's enduring and historic support for the Palestinian people, guided by our unwavering dedication to providing immediate relief and advancing peace in the face of immense adversity.” Hashimy further said.
The Minister underlined that to date, the UAE has welcomed 709 patients from Gaza, along with 787 of their family members, to receive medical treatment.
This follows the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President, to provide care for 2,000 injured and cancer patients from Gaza, the Minister said.
"This significant scale-up in our efforts demonstrates our solidarity with the Palestinian people and our determination to alleviate their suffering and ensure urgent, sustainable, unhindered delivery of aid, at a wide scale and through all possible means. We remain resolute in our collaboration with international partners to ensure that our aid reaches those in desperate need," she added.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said, "We are thankful to the UAE for supporting the evacuation of sick and injured people from Gaza to receive the urgent care they need. We hope this paves the way for the establishment of evacuation corridors via all possible routes, including the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings to Egypt and Jordan, and from there to other countries".
"We also call for evacuations to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to be restored. Thousands of sick people are suffering needlessly. Above all, and as always, WHO calls for a ceasefire," Dr Tedros said.
Notably to date, the UAE has provided over 40,000 tonnes of crucial aid, including food, relief, and medical items, through 8 aid ships, 337 flights, 50 airdrops, and 1,271 trucks. The fourth UAE relief ship arrived in Al-Arish this week, marking the eighth shipment of aid, which carried 5,340 tonnes of humanitarian supplies, and is the largest shipment since the launch of the relief operations, the Ministry added.
