Gaza war: UAE announces deal with Israel to allow aid deliveries
The United Arab Emirates have reached an agreement with Israel to allow the delivery of "urgent humanitarian aid" to the besieged Gaza Strip, according to a statement released on Wednesday, May 21, on Emirati state media. Israel has come under massive international pressure to allow aid into Gaza, where humanitarian agencies say a total blockade imposed on March 2 has sparked critical food and medicine shortages. Israel said 93 aid trucks had entered Gaza from Israel on Tuesday but the United Nations said the aid had been held up.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE deputy prime minister and foreign minister, "held a phone call with Gideon Saar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, which led to an agreement to allow the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid from the United Arab Emirates," the statement on official news agency WAM said. "The aid will address the food needs of approximately 15,000 civilians in the Gaza Strip in the initial phase," it said. The initiative will provide "essential supplies to support the operation of bakeries in the Strip, as well as critical items for infant care, while ensuring a continuous supply to meet the ongoing needs of civilians," the statement added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week it was necessary for Israel to prevent famine in Gaza for "practical and diplomatic reasons," after his government announced it would allow limited aid in.
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