Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Co-operation, denied on Monday that her country will assume civilian administration of Gaza.
Ms Al Hashimy was quoted in a statement published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs following media reports suggesting the UAE is considering assuming the administration of the devastated Palestinian enclave.
The minister “categorically denies the false and unfounded claim that the UAE will assume civilian administration of Gaza”, affirmed the statement. She added that the UAE “has repeatedly reaffirmed that Gaza’s governance and administration are the responsibility of the Palestinian people”.
Ms Al Hashimy was appointed to the Gaza Executive Board, and President Sheikh Mohamed has accepted an invitation from the US to join the Board of Peace.
In the statement, the Emirati minister underscored that the UAE remains committed to “scaling up its humanitarian efforts to support Palestinians in Gaza and advancing a durable peace between Israelis and Palestinians, including through its role as a Board of Peace founding member and its membership on the Gaza Executive Board”.
A ceasefire in October halted two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The war began when Hamas and other groups launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and abducting about 240.
Israel immediately began a large-scale campaign in Gaza that levelled most of the coastal enclave and killed at least 71,000 people.
The UAE has been at the forefront of aid delivery efforts to Gaza since the war began.
