Watch: UAE receives first group of 15 children under its initiative to treat 1,000 Palestinian children from Gaza
President Sheikh Mohamed launched Operation Galant Knight 3 in aid of impacted communities
Abu Dhabi: The first plane arrived this morning at Abu Dhabi International Airport carrying 15 wounded and injured children from Gaza and their families as part of the initiative of President His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to treat 1,000 Palestinian children, accompanied by their families from the Gaza Strip, in hospitals in the UAE.
The plane coming from Al Arish Airport in Egypt landed at Abu Dhabi airport, was carrying children on board who are in dire need of medical assistance, suffering from severe injuries and burns, and cancer patients who need quick and immediate treatment.
Maha Barakat, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Health Affairs, said in a statement following the plane’s arrival at Abu Dhabi Airport that all medical and health teams and hospitals in the country are fully prepared to receive the remaining children and their families, provide comprehensive and integrated care for their treatment and provide the best specialised services, in accordance with international standards, until they recover.
She added: “Since the beginning of the crisis, the UAE has rushed to provide urgent humanitarian aid and supplies to the Gaza Strip. In this regard, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, may God protect him, directed the provision of aid in the amount of $20 million. His Highness also directed the establishment of an integrated field hospital inside the Gaza Strip, as part of Operation Gallant Knight 3.”
Relief aid
The Assistant Minister indicated that, as part of supporting relief efforts in the Gaza Strip, the UAE has so far sent 51 planes carrying 1,400 tonnes of food, health aid and shelter materials in coordination with international organisations such as the World Food Programme.
These initiatives embody the UAE’s approach and its historical commitment to supporting the Palestinian people and alleviating the severity of the humanitarian crisis they face, especially the most vulnerable groups, most notably children, who constitute about half of the Gaza Strip’s population (more than 1 million children), which comes within the framework of the UAE’s established fraternal positions towards the Palestinian people.