UAE evacuates 155 patients from Gaza in humanitarian mission with WHO

Abu Dhabi: The UAE, in coordination with the World Health Organization, has carried out a new medical evacuation of 155 wounded and ill Palestinians, along with their family members, from Gaza. The group was transported through Israel’s Ramon Airport and via the Kerem Shalom border crossing.

The latest evacuation brings the total number of patients and relatives evacuated by the UAE to 2,785 since the beginning of the conflict.  The new batch of medical evacuations is in line with the directives President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to provide treatment for 1,000 Palestinian children wounded in the conflict and 1,000 children suffering from cancer. The initiative reflects the UAE’s ongoing humanitarian drive to ease the suffering of civilians in Gaza and to curb the severe consequences of the humanitarian crisis.

Sultan Mohammed Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Development Affairs and International Organisations and deputy chairman of the UAE International Aid Agency, said the operation underscored the country’s continued humanitarian response to urgently transport patients and injured civilians in Gaza.  Al Shamsi said the operation comes as part of the UAE’s longstanding commitment and its stand to support the Palestinian people “in all circumstances and at all times,” rooted in the nation’s responsibility to deliver emergency aid and promote stability and ease the suffering of affected peoples due to wars and conflicts.

The Emirati medical teams have transferred critical cases to hospitals across Abu Dhabi, while others, accompanied by their families, were taken to the Emirates Humanitarian City, where they are receiving care under the supervision of specialized staff.  In addition to medical treatment, the UAE is providing educational and cultural services to patients and their families to help ease the psychological burden of the war, particularly on children, women, and the elderly.

Since the conflict erupted, the UAE has stepped up its humanitarian operations in partnership with UN agencies and international partners to curb the catastrophic consequences of the current crisis.

Alongside repeated evacuation missions, the country has established a floating hospital off the coast of Egypt’s Al Arish, a field hospital in southern Gaza, and continues to provide medicines and essential medical supplies as part of its emergency response plan.