Dubai: Up to 100,000 Palestinians have been displaced in the relentless Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, the UN said yesterday.

While political efforts were afoot to reach a ceasefire amid the Israeli barrage from the land, sea and air on the strip, which is categorised as among the most densely populated areas in the world, several UN agencies have started sending aid to those in dire need, a UN statement added.

The Israeli attacks are threatening to spill into a 15th day on Tuesday.

The UN said in a statement: “Under the direction of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, a special airlift in support of displaced families in Gaza began on Sunday from Dubai, where a 747 cargo took off carrying 115 metric tonnes of aid, containing 45,000 mattresses, 10,000 blankets and 220 hygiene kits. The plane landed at Marka International Airport in Amman early on Monday, 21 July.”

Large numbers of civilians have taken refuge in the schools where the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Gaza has set up aid camps.

The displaced people are enduring tough conditions amid a lack of water, food and basic hygiene. UNRWA has appealed for help to meet the basic needs of people flocking to the aid camps.

The aid consignment from Dubai was sent from the supplies stocked at the International Humanitarian City. Agencies involved in the efforts include the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN World Food Programme (WFP)/UN Humanitarian Response Depot), the UN Children’s Fund, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Emirates Red Crescent.

“In the coming days, more airlifts are scheduled to arrive in Amman, from where UNRWA will truck the aid into Gaza for distribution. UNRWA plans to expand the scope of the donations to include emergency food parcels as stocks of food and other essential goods dwindle,” the UN statement added.

Several hundreds have been killed and thousands injured in the Israeli attacks, the vast majority of them Palestinian civilians.