Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Mohamed, on Friday issued an impassioned plea for a lasting peace in Gaza to bring “tranquility to a land exhausted by war”.
He spoke of the need for a new “political horizon” to emerge for the besieged enclave, as a new ceasefire deal raises hope of an end to the deadly conflict with Israel.
In the early hours of Friday, Israel's cabinet voted to accept the framework for the ceasefire in Gaza, approving the plan for the release of all hostages.
The UAE had on Thursday welcomed US President Donald Trump's announcement of an agreement on the first phase of the deal.
“After two years of pain and suffering and years of injustice, oppression, and marginalisation, peace remains the greatest dream for the people of Gaza,” Dr Gargash wrote on X.
“A peace that restores life to children, hope to mothers and tranquility to a land exhausted by wars.
“The time has come for the cannons to fall silent and the voices of mercy and reason to rise, and the time has come for a political horizon that goes beyond bandaging wounds toward a permanent solution based on truth, justice and dignity for Palestine.”
At least 67,183 Palestinians have been killed and 169,841 wounded since the Gaza war began on October 7, 2023.
The Israeli military began its offensive after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting 240.
UN chief backs peace plan
UN aid chief Tom Fletcher on Thursday urged countries to rally behind US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, saying it must serve as the foundation for life-saving work across the region.
“President Trump's peace plan must be the basis for saving tens of thousands of lives. We must seize this moment with collective will, determination and generosity,” Mr Fletcher told reporters in New York. “There must be no backsliding on the agreements that have been made.”
He warned that some would try to derail the plan and said this “must not be allowed to happen”, stressing that civilians in Gaza and Israel were “desperate for peace”.
Mr Fletcher said UN agencies were prepared to act immediately − with 170,000 tonnes of food, medicine and other supplies ready to be delivered. In the first 60 days of the ceasefire, he said, the UN aimed to deliver hundreds of lorryloads daily to reach 2.1 million people in Gaza and prevent famine.
