Food, shelter and hope: UAE support reaches 4,000 orphaned children in Gaza's largest orphan community

Dubai: The UAE's humanitarian operation Gallant Knight 3 is providing sustained support to Gaza's largest orphan community, helping care for more than 4,000 children who lost one or both parents during the war.

Mahmoud Kalkh, Director-General of Al Baraka City for Orphans, said the conflict had left more than 55,000 children orphaned across the Gaza Strip, creating one of the territory's gravest humanitarian crises.

He explained that Al Baraka City, which initially began as a small camp for displaced families, had expanded into eight camps housing around 1,000 tents and had become a refuge for thousands of orphaned children and their families.

Kalkh said the UAE's intervention had been critical in enabling the facility to continue operating and expanding its services. Beyond emergency food assistance, he said the support had given children a sense that they were not facing the consequences of the conflict alone.

"At times, Palestinians felt they were confronting this ordeal on their own, but the UAE showed us that there are brothers standing beside us, caring for our children and supporting what remains of their hopes," he noted.

According to Kalkh, the UAE operation prioritised Al Baraka City from the outset of its relief mission to Gaza, delivering food aid, hygiene supplies, clothing, flour and bread, while also supporting community kitchens that provide daily meals for orphaned children.

The assistance has also included medicines and medical supplies, school bags and stationery, as well as psychological support and recreational programmes aimed at helping children cope with the trauma of war. 

Kalkh added that the initiative had additionally organised Quran memorisation classes, with more than 800 childrencompleting memorisation programmes.

He said the UAE had financed all eight camps dedicated to housing orphans and helped operate essential facilities within the complex, providing greater stability for children who had lost both their families and their homes.

Kalkh clarified that the assistance became particularly vital during periods of severe food shortages, when supplies were scarce and prices surged across the enclave.

"During the hardest days of famine, when we struggled to provide food for the children, UAE aid continued to reach us, from flour to supplies needed to keep the community kitchens running. That was a key reason we were able to continue serving meals to thousands of orphans," he said.