The UAE seeks to establish a field hospital in Gaza to alleviate the suffering of its residents
Five planes carrying the necessary equipment and supplies for the establishment and operation of the field hospital departed from Abu Dhabi heading to El-Arish Airport in Egypt.
The UAE has decided to establish a fully equipped field hospital in the Gaza Strip, as announced by the UAE News Agency (WAM) on Monday. However, it did not clarify whether there is an agreement on this initiative with Israel.
Abu Dhabi was the first country in the region to provide humanitarian and medical aid to the Palestinians besieged in a customary humanitarian gesture by this Gulf state.
The agency stated, “In implementation of the orders of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of The UAE , it has been decided to establish a comprehensive Emirati field hospital within the Gaza Strip to provide the necessary medical support to the Palestinian brothers in the sector as part of the Gallant Knight 3 humanitarian operation.”
It added that five aircraft carrying the necessary equipment and supplies for the establishment and operation of the field hospital left Abu Dhabi on Monday, heading to El-Arish Airport in Egypt, where it is believed that this aid will enter through the Rafah Crossing. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed had announced last week his intention to treat a thousand Palestinian children in UAE hospitals alongside their families.
Humanitarian matters have become of great importance and sensitivity to Abu Dhabi, which has contributed to alleviating the suffering of many peoples who have faced wars and disasters around the world.
Many countries have field hospitals in Gaza to alleviate the suffering of the besieged people for more than 15 years, while Abu Dhabi focuses its efforts on saving the lives of innocent civilians and providing all the necessary medical conditions for hospitals, with a severe shortage of some supplies such as anesthesia drugs and painkillers, among others. Israel has been accused of launching airstrikes on healthcare facilities in the Gaza Strip, resulting in a high number of Palestinian casualties.
The bombing of the Arab International Hospital “Al-Muamadani” was particularly shocking due to the staggering number of deaths and injuries. The UAE’s Foreign Ministry, which condemned the attacks on healthcare facilities, emphasized that the continued indiscriminate bombing would lead to consequences that would be difficult to remedy, taking a strong stance by Abu Dhabi against the targeting of civilians.
It also called for the necessity of adopting the United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire and cessation of hostilities as an important step to stop the escalation and protect lives, and for allowing the safe, urgent, sustainable, and unobstructed delivery of aid to the sector.
Abu Dhabi warned against the expansion of the war in the region, indicating that it is working tirelessly to reach a humanitarian ceasefire that Israel categorically rejects until the release of hostages and the elimination of the Hamas movement.
The UAE was the most prominent Arab country to sign the Abraham Accords in 2020, a series of agreements that Israel hoped would pave the way for normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia. However, the war dealt a blow to those plans after Hamas launched the Battle of Storm Al-Aqsa on October 7th, and Israel’s response.
