The UAE has sent thousands of school bags and supplies for more than 25,000 Gazan children to support education in the Palestinian enclave.
The Sharjah Charity International, in co-operation with the UAE’s Operation Gallant Knight 3, loaded the supplies on to a cargo plane that left Sharjah International Airport, bound for the UAE’s humanitarian aid logistics centre in the Egyptian city of Al Arish.
The more than 60-tonne shipment, which comprised school bags, pens, notebooks, erasers, sharpeners and other school supplies, is part of the nation’s efforts to support Gazans facing difficulties as a result of the war.
Mohammed Al Shareef, spokesman for Operation Gallant Knight 3, told The National that more than 25,000 pupils in Gaza would benefit from the supplies.
“We all know the beginning of the academic year is near, and we want to support pupils in Gaza and the education sector,” he said.
“The UAE will continue to support and stand with our Palestinian brothers at all times and under all conditions.”
Hmoud Al Afari, director of UAE relief operations, told The National that the campaign, titled ‘Through Education We Rise’, is aimed at helping to sustain education in the enclave and enabling pupils to continue their studies despite the difficult humanitarian conditions.
“The initiative will provide an opportunity for pupils to learn and return to their normal lives,” Mr Al Afari said. “The campaign will enhance educational opportunities for children who represent the hope for building a better future.
"The UAE’s aid represents more than 46 per cent of the total aid from the world to Gaza.“The true value of humanitarian action is measured by its ability to reach people at the time and place where support is most needed to safeguard their dignity.”
The scale of the Emirates’ humanitarian campaigns was in sharp focus as the international community marked World Humanitarian Day on Wednesday.
Since Operation Gallant Knight 3 was launched under the directive of President Sheikh Mohammed in November 2023, the UAE has been at the forefront of aid delivery and humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.
The aid operation has been carried out in collaboration with the Emirates Red Crescent and other humanitarian and charitable institutions in the UAE.
Operation Gallant Knight 3
Earlier this month, Operation Gallant Knight 3 marked 1,000 days of continuous support, with more than Dh14.2 billion ($3.89 billion) worth of aid sent to Gaza in that time.
The UAE has set up a floating hospital in Egypt and two medical centres in Gaza, and has flown thousands of patients, including many suffering from cancer and war-related injuries, to the Emirates to receive treatment.
The Emirates’ Step of Hope programme, launched in June to help Gazan civilians who lost limbs during the war, has fitted prosthetics for 72 Palestinian amputees since it began.
The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed about 1,200 people in an attack on southern Israeli communities.
Israel’s military campaign has killed about 73,200 Palestinians, including more than 1,100 since a ceasefire took effect in October last year.
