UAE to build three desalination plants in Gaza

Plants will supply 300,000 people with drinking water

A lorry is loaded with desalination equipment for the Gaza Strip. Wam

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The UAE has announced plans to build three desalination plants in Gaza as part of its Gallant Knight 3 humanitarian operation.

Each will have a production capacity of 200,000 gallons a day, which will supply 300,000 people with drinking water when all three are operational.

The Joint Operations Command at the Ministry of Defence said the plants are being built in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

President Sheikh Mohamed on November 5 announced a humanitarian operation to support Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

Under Gallant Knight 3, the Joint Operations Command is co-ordinating with the Emirates Red Crescent, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation and Zayed bin Sultan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation to provide support in Gaza.

Doctors registered with the Ministry of Health and Prevention and the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi can volunteer.

Those registered with the Red Crescent and the UAE humanitarian and charitable institutions can also volunteer. Officials opened online registration last week for medical workers keen to lend a helping hand to relief efforts.

The UAE is in the process of setting up a field hospital in the Gaza Strip.

In addition, Sheikh Mohamed said 1,000 Palestinian children would be brought to UAE hospitals for medical treatment. The injured will be transported from Gaza and accompanied by their families.

The UAE has condemned Israel's war on Gaza and called for an immediate ceasefire to protect civilian lives.

Updated: November 16, 2023, 10:22 AM