3 UAE convoys loaded with 495 tonnes of aid reach Gaza
- Last updated: December 22, 2024 | 10:45
Three convoys loaded with various humanitarian aid from the UAE crossed into the Gaza Strip this week through the Rafah Border Crossing in Egypt.
The effort is part of the UAE’s ongoing mission to support and assist the Palestinian people during the current circumstances under the humanitarian initiative Operation Chivalrous Knight 3.
The convoys consist of 30 trucks loaded with over 495.1 tonnes of humanitarian aid, including food supplies, winter clothing, and other essential items. This brings to 144 the number of aid convoys that have entered the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, consisting of 1,273 trucks.
To date, the UAE has provided more than 28,002.5 tonnes of aid to the Palestinian people through this initiative, significantly alleviating the harsh conditions faced by Gaza’s residents and easing the suffering of the most vulnerable groups by addressing their essential needs.
The UAE remains committed to providing humanitarian support to the people of Gaza, mitigating the challenges they face, and ensuring the provision of necessities to the vulnerable.
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), described Sweden’s decision to stop funding the agency in 2025 as disappointing, stating that it comes at the worst time for Palestinian refugees.
In a press statement, Lazzarini said the decision was made just one day after the members of the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution supporting UNRWA.
Lazzarini warned that the cessation of funding to UNRWA would undermine decades of Sweden’s investment in human development, including depriving hundreds of thousands of girls and boys in the region of their right to education.
He clarified that the decision would exacerbate the suffering of Gaza’s residents, who have endured hardship for the past fourteen months, expressing hope that the Swedish government would reconsider its decision and continue its long-standing solidarity by investing in political solutions and human development for Palestinian refugees through UNRWA.
Meanwhile, Israel continued bombardment of areas in the Gaza Strip on the 442nd day of the war, resulting in numerous martyrs and injured.
The Israeli aggression over the past 24 hours led to 77 martyrs and 174 injured.
Pope Francis on Saturday condemned the bombing of children in Gaza as “cruelty,” a day after the territory’s rescue agency said an Israeli air strike killed seven children from one family.
Francis opened his annual Christmas address to the Catholic cardinals who lead the Vatican’s various departments with what appeared to be a reference to Israeli airstrikes on Friday that killed at least 25 Palestinians in Gaza.
“Yesterday, children were bombed,” said the pope. “This is cruelty. This is not war. I wanted to say this because it touches the heart.”
“There are 10 martyrs ... all targeted by an air strike on their home in Jabalia al-Nazla, southwest of Jabalia. All of the martyrs are from the same family, including seven children, the oldest aged six,” civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP. Bassal said the strike injured 15 other people.
Hamas and two other Palestinian groups said on Saturday that a Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel is “closer than ever,” provided Israel does not impose new conditions.
Last week, indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States were held in Doha, rekindling hope of an agreement. “The possibility of reaching an agreement (for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal) is closer than ever, provided the enemy stops imposing new conditions,” Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said in a rare joint statement issued after talks in Cairo on Friday. A Hamas leader told AFP on Saturday that talks had made “significant and important progress” in recent days.
“Most points related to the ceasefire and prisoner exchange issues have been agreed upon,” he said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the issue.
He said that if an agreement is reached it will be implemented in phases, ending with “a serious prisoner exchange deal, a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal (of Israeli forces) from Gaza.”
WAM / Agencies