The UAE on Monday said it was preparing its latest aid ship to deliver critical supplies to Gaza, as an international push for peace gathers momentum.
The UAE Humanitarian Ship will be loaded with essential aid in co-ordination with a number of charitable organisations before it sets sail, the state news agency Wam reported. The authorities did not state where the ship was currently docked or where it will sail to. Previous aid shipments have travelled to Egypt's Al Arish Port.
The latest relief mission is being carried out as part of the humanitarian campaign launched by the Emirates following the outbreak of the war with Israel two years ago. It comes as the first phase of a Gaza peace plan announced last week by US President Donald Trump takes shape.
Mr Trump arrived in Israel on Monday to address the country’s parliament. Television footage showed him stepping off a plane at Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv, where he was met by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.
Israel said seven hostages released on Monday morning by Hamas are now with the military and on their way to Israel. A statement from the army and Israel’s domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet said they were being accompanied to Israeli territory, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment.
Hamas says it is committed to the peace agreement reached with Israel, as long as Israel adheres to the process as well. “We declare our commitment to the agreement reached and its associated timetables, as long as the occupation adheres to them,” the group said. It said Israel’s military campaign in Gaza had failed to recover the hostages and that the country had now “surrendered”.
At least 67,806 Palestinians have been killed and 170,066 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.
UAE aid drive
The UAE Humanitarian Ship is the 21st such vessel sent by the Emirates to help mitigate the impact of the deadly conflict on Palestinians.
In September, the Hamdan ship docked at Egypt's Al Arish port. It carried 5,000 tonnes of food parcels, 1,900 tonnes of supplies for community kitchens and 100 tonnes of medical tents to enhance health services, in addition to five fully equipped ambulances.
