Palestinians ride boats with flags during an event to show solidarity with countries affected by COVID-19, at the seaport of Gaza City on Monday. Reuters

The Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO), expresses its gratitude to the Government of the United Arab Emirates for the delivery of 14 tonnes of urgent medical supplies.

The supplies will support the efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic and its impact in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The aid includes personal protective equipment, PPE, and medical equipment.

Most notably, it includes 10 ventilators that are acutely needed.

This aid is in line with the United Nations COVID-19 Response Plan for the occupied Palestinian territory.

The plan supports the efforts led by the Government of Palestine to contain the pandemic and mitigate its impact.

Commenting on the delivery of aid, Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, the UAE's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, said: "This is an international crisis that requires an international response. The UAE is grateful to UNSCO for facilitating the UAE’s support for the Palestinian people, and for the UN’s tireless efforts to coordinate and assist the global fight against the pandemic."

Nickolay Mladenov, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, thanked the Government and people of the UAE for their continued support to the Palestinian people.

"The UAE is an important partner, whose continued support for peace and for the Palestinian people at this critical time is highly valued. Global solidarity is in the interest of everyone. Today we are facing the most challenging crisis since the Second World War. We can get through it only by working together.

In addition to being one of the largest donors to UNRWA, the UAE has contributed more than $828.2 million from 2013 to April 2020 to fund various sectors in the oPt.

The UAE has been one of the world’s leading contributors of COVID-19 aid, delivering more than 500 metric tonnes of aid to 47 countries.

WAM