UAE and Egypt send 79 tonnes of aid to northern Gaza

Joint operation brings total relief dropped to 743 tonnes since operation began

About 743 tonnes of aid have been dropped into Gaza under the Birds of Goodness operation. Photo: Wam

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The UAE and Egypt have dropped more aid to northern Gaza in a joint operation to support Palestinian citizens.

Aircraft carrying 79 tonnes of food and relief aid were dropped over isolated and inaccessible areas in the Gaza Strip.

It brings the total amount of aid provided to 743 tonnes since the operation began in February, Wam reported.

Footage released showed aircraft parachuting aid parcels in northern Gaza to reach those struggling in that part of the enclave.

It comes a day after the UAE delivered 124 tonnes of relief in an aid drop operation with Egypt and Jordan.

It was the largest drop since the operation began, the Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday.

The operation, which is set to run for several weeks, is part of Gallant Knight 3, which was launched last year by President Sheikh Mohamed to support Palestinian civilians.

Also on Wednesday, a plane carrying 32 patients and 64 of their family members arrived at Zayed International Airport on a flight from Al Arish in Egypt.

The initiative is part of a directive from Sheikh Mohamed to provide treatment for 1,000 wounded children and 1,000 cancer patients from the Gaza Strip.

The patients were taken to hospital. Their family members are to be housed at Emirates Humanitarian City, in Abu Dhabi.

The death toll in Gaza has risen to more than 32,400, with 74,889 injured since the conflict broke out in October. Most of Gaza's 2.3 million population have been displaced during the fighting.

The war in Gaza began after raids led by Hamas into southern Israel killed 1,200 people.

Countries drop aid into war-torn Gaza – in pictures