The lineup of the ambulances.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Believing in humanitarian duty and social responsibility, Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, Founding Chairman of the Emirati Al Habtoor Group, donated a large number of fully equipped ambulances to provide health support to the brothers in the Gaza Strip and to confront the health repercussions resulting from the Israeli aggression.

The first batch of cars was purchased and equipped with the latest medical technologies in the Arab Republic of Egypt. Islam Kamal Ghoneim, representative and CEO of the Al Habtoor Group - Egypt, handed it over to the Palestinian Red Crescent through the Egyptian Rafah crossing, in cooperation with the Egyptian Tribal and Families Council, and under security supervision and coordination with the Egyptian Armed Forces.

Al Habtoor commented on the donation, saying: “Standing by our brothers in the Gaza Strip, especially in these circumstances, is an imperative duty for every Muslim and Arab and for everyone who takes human values as their calling, and we have been committed to that since the 1970s. The suffering of our Palestinian brothers is great, and we must all offer what God Almighty enables us to do to support their steadfastness.”

“This donation reflects the spirit of solidarity and humanitarian support to which Khalaf Bin Ahmed Al Habtoor is committed,” Ghoneim said. “We hope that these cars will provide immediate support to improve the health conditions of our people in Gaza.”

Ghoneim added: “We thank and appreciate the efforts of the Egyptian Armed Forces, the Tribal Council, and the Egyptian families in enabling us to implement this humanitarian initiative, in light of the almost impossible conditions for delivering aid. Without them, we would not have been able to do so.”

It is worth noting that Khalaf Bin Ahmed Al Habtoor was and remains committed to supporting the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people, by contributing to improving their conditions. In 2012, he made a contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) with the aim of supporting Palestinian refugees in Syria, employing 200 Palestinian workers in the West Bank, providing job opportunities for thousands of Palestinian refugee workers, and enhancing access to clean water and sustainable agriculture methods, at a cost estimated at one million dirhams.

Each ambulance is equipped with the latest medical technologies.

As part of the “Help Them” campaign in 2010, which was launched by the United Arab Emirates to provide relief and support to the people of Gaza, Khalaf Al Habtoor donated 103 cars to the service sectors in Palestine. In the same year, Al Habtoor was keen to hold a sporting event called the “Palestine-Emirates Polo Cup,” the proceeds of which were entirely allocated to projects supported by the “Palestinian Cooperation Foundation” in marginalised areas and deprived humanitarian communities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

He also supported the Palestine International Marathon 2014, which was organised by the Welfare Association for the Palestine Marathon under the slogan “The Right to Freedom of Movement,” with an amount of $10,000.

"The suffering of our Palestinian brothers is great, and we must all offer what God Almighty enables us to do to support their steadfastness."

— Khalal Al Habtoor

In the same year, he launched the Pathways to Peace Initiative at the University of Illinois, which aims to settle the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The essence of the initiative includes holding a symposium at the university through which students review examples from the history of cultural, religious and ethnic conflicts and the steps taken to resolve these issues. At the conclusion of the symposium, a group of students and educational staff at the university travelled to the Middle East region to reach a solution to end the ongoing conflict that affects the entire Middle East region and the West as well.

He donated Dhs3.7 million to the Carter Center – to support the programme to bring peace to the Middle East, specifically to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians.