UAE, first Arab country to send emergency aid to the Gaza Strip to fight the pandemic

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has established itself as the first Arab country to provide emergency aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip in response to the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe.  

The UAE sent a third aid plane carrying 14.4 metric tons of medical supplies and testing kits to the Gaza Strip in coordination with the Commission for Solidarity in Gaza. This follows a strategy launched in May.  

The recent Emirate medical detachment is scheduled to arrive in Gaza in the next few hours, through the Rafah land crossing, which separates Egypt from the Strip. The UAE sent three medical planes to Cairo airport as part of this aid programme for the Palestinian territory. 

This comes as part of the UAE’s efforts to offer assistance in strengthening the Palestinian people, which have been developed over the past decades. Although the Emirates' political rapprochement to the state of Israel (the historical rival of the Palestinian movement), which led to the recent Abraham Accords, whereby diplomatic ties were established between the two countries under the auspices of the United States, had not been well received by the Palestinians.

The Emirate has been providing hundreds of millions of dollars to support the Palestinians in the face of Israel's embargo on the Palestinian territories, including the financial support provided by Abu Dhabi to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). 

In terms of figures, the contributions made by the UAE to Palestine between 2013 and 2020 are estimated at some USD 840 million. The United Arab Emirates is UNRWA's largest donor, having contributed over $187 million to the aid agency in the last five years alone. This aid has been directed at several areas, including health and education.  

The Emirates' contribution to UNRWA in 2018 alone was estimated at more than $50 million. During 2017 and 2018, the United Arab Emirates supported the Agency's health and food programmes with a value of $2 million to finance fuel for power plants to support hospitals in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, in 2017 and 2018, UAE institutions provided some $364 million in humanitarian, development and food aid to the Palestinian people, as the Al-Ain media recalled. 

It is worth recalling that the Emirates chairs the current session of the UNRWA Advisory Committee, which aims during its 2020-2021 presidency to focus on key areas such as the digitisation of education, the empowerment of women and girls, youth empowerment and environmental sustainability.  

This continues the great work of the Emirates in international assistance to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The Middle Eastern country has sent aid and medical equipment to dozens of countries since the coronavirus health crisis erupted, from the most vulnerable to international powers. Equipment which has helped thousands and thousands of medical professionals in these destination countries to combat this health scourge. To date, the UAE has provided over 1,675 metric tonnes of assistance to more than 120 countries, benefiting over 1.6 million health professionals.