UAE aid ship 'Khalifa' arrives in Al Arish Port
The arrival of the Khalifa aid ship underscores the UAE's steadfast commitment to delivering humanitarian and relief aid to the Palestinian people, especially amid the escalating humanitarian challenges in the Gaza Strip.
Departing from Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi, the ship was loaded with 7,166 tonnes of humanitarian assistance, including food, medicines, medical supplies, relief items, dates and shelter materials, for the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
Comprising 4,372 tonnes of food, 1,433 tonnes of shelter supplies, 860 tonnes of medical materials, and 501 tonnes of health items, the shipment brings the overall aid dispatched to the Gaza Strip to more than 80,000 tonnes.
As part of a continuous series of initiatives, the UAE dispatched this ship to deliver urgent aid to the Palestinian people, reaffirming its enduring humanitarian stance in supporting just causes and reducing the impact of crises in the region.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Today
25 minutes ago
- Gulf Today
US is no longer first choice for international students
In China, wait times for US visa interviews are so long that some students have given up. Universities in Hong Kong are fielding transfer inquiries from foreign students in the US, and international applications for British undergraduate programs have surged. President Donald Trump's administration has been pressuring US colleges to reduce their dependence on international enrollment while adding new layers of scrutiny for foreign students as part of its crackdown on immigration. The US government has sought to deport foreign students for participating in pro-Palestinian activism, reported Associated Press. In the spring, it abruptly revoked the legal status of thousands of international students, including some whose only brush with law enforcement was a traffic ticket. After reversing course, the government paused new appointments for student visas while rolling out a process for screening applicants' social media US remains the first choice for many international students, but institutions elsewhere are recognizing opportunity in the upheaval, and applicants are considering destinations they might have otherwise overlooked. The impact on US universities — and the nation's economy — may be significant. New international enrollment in the US could drop by 30% to 40% this fall, according to an analysis of visa and enrollment data by NAFSA, an agency that promotes international education. That would deprive the US economy of $7 billion in spending, according to the analysis. Many international students pay full price, so their absence would also hurt college budgets, Associated Press reported. As the second most popular destination for international students, Britain is positioned to benefit. The country's new Labour government has vowed to cut migration, and officials have imposed time limits on post-study visas allowing graduates to stay and work. But admissions consultants say the United Kingdom is still seen as the most welcoming of the traditional "big four" English-speaking destinations in higher education — the US, UK, Canada and Australia. After declining last year, the number of international applications for undergraduate study in the UK this fall grew by 2.2%, official figures show. A record number of applications came from China, up 10% compared with the previous year. Applications from the US also reached nearly 8,000 students — an increase of 14% and a 20-year high. Acceptances of international students for graduate programs in the UK grew an estimated 10% from last year, driven by demand for business and management courses in particular, according to data from UniQuest, which works with many British universities on admissions. Data showing the extent of any impact will not be available until fall, said Mike Henniger, CEO of Illume Student Advisory Services, a consultancy that works with colleges in the US, Canada and Europe. "But the American brand has taken a massive hit, and the UK is the one that is benefiting," he said. Demand from Chinese students has risen rapidly for universities places in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, said Will Kwong, managing director of AAS Education, a consultancy in Hong Kong. Many Western universities have offshore campuses there that are more affordable than going to the US or UK. "Opting for study in Asia has been a trend since the easing of COVID-19," Kwong said. "But obviously it's been exacerbated by the change of administration in the US." Some Asian families have told him the US is no longer their clear first choice because of political turbulence and visa difficulties, many are still waiting for US visa interviews and will likely miss the start of the fall term, Kwong said. Chinese college student Alisa, who is studying data science, plans to attend an exchange program this fall at the University of California, Berkeley. She hopes to pursue a master's degree in the US. But she is also looking into other options "just so I could still go to school if the extreme scenario occurs," said Alisa, who spoke on condition of partial anonymity out of fear of being targeted.
Gulf Today
26 minutes ago
- Gulf Today
Sisi says Israel's war in Gaza ‘systematic genocide'
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Tuesday Israel was pursuing 'a war of starvation and genocide' in Gaza, and denied accusations Cairo prevented life-saving aid from entering the Palestinian territory. 'The war in Gaza is no longer merely a war to achieve political goals or release hostages,' Sisi told a press conference in Cairo along with his Vietnamese counterpart. Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, vowing to crush the Palestinian group and to free hostages. The Israeli cabinet is set to convene on Thursday at 6 pm (1500 GMT) as Israel considers a full Gaza takeover, Israeli media reported on Tuesday. To Sisi, 'this war has long since surpassed any logic or justification, and has become a war of starvation and genocide'. 'There is systematic genocide to eradicate the Palestinian cause,' he said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday Israel must 'complete' the defeat of Hamas to free hostages held in Gaza, a day after Israeli media reported the army could occupy the entire territory. Israel has heavily restricted aid into Gaza which is slipping into a catastrophic famine 22 months into the war. It has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Following mounting international pressure on Israel, in late May aid has only began trickling into Gaza, which borders Israel and Egypt. In response to what Sisi said were 'bankrupt' accusations of Egypt's complicity in the siege, the president reiterated that the Rafah border crossing with Gaza was 'never closed'. The crossing at Rafah was a vital entry point of aid in the early months of the war, until Israeli troops took over its Palestinian side in May 2024, forcing it shut. 'The crossing was able to bring in aid as long as there were no Israeli troops stationed on the Palestinian side of the crossing,' Sisi said, adding that there are 5,000 trucks loaded with aid waiting to enter Gaza. He also defended what he said was Egypt's consistently 'positive' role seeking an end to the conflict. Since the war began, Cairo has undertaken a delicate balancing act, retaining its position as a mediator between Israel and Hamas -- along with the United States and Qatar -- while repeatedly criticising Israel's assault. Cairo has also repeatedly refused US plans to displace Palestinians into Egypt, lobbying for a reconstruction plan for the territory that has fallen by the wayside as truce talks repeatedly folded. 'Egypt will always remain a gateway for aid, not a gateway for the displacement of the Palestinian people,' Sisi said on Tuesday. 'We are prepared to allow aid in at any time, but we are not prepared to receive or displace Palestinians from their land.' Last week, Sisi urged US President Donald Trump -- who had touted the plan to displace Palestinians into Egypt -- to intervene, saying he 'is the one capable of ending the war, brining in aid and ending this suffering'. Despite intense international pressure for a ceasefire to ease hunger and appalling conditions in the besieged Palestinian enclave, efforts to mediate a truce between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas have collapsed. Eight more people died of starvation or malnutrition in the past 24 hours, Gaza's health ministry said, while another 79 died in the latest Israeli firing. An Israeli official had earlier told Reuters that Defence Minister Israel Katz and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a confidant of Netanyahu, would also attend the meeting to decide on a strategy to take to cabinet this week. A Palestinian official said the suggestion of a full takeover of Gaza may be a tactic to pressure Hamas into concessions, while the Palestinian Foreign Ministry urged foreign nations to take heed of the reports. 'The ministry urges countries and the international community to treat these leaks with utmost seriousness and to intervene urgently to prevent their implementation, whether these leaks are meant to exert pressure, test international reactions, or are genuine and serious,' it said. Agencies
Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Students launch 'Gaza40' campaign for Palestinian scholarship recipients who cannot enter UK
A coalition of student groups has launched the 'Gaza40 Campaign', an initiative aimed at pressuring the UK government to waive bureaucratic requirements that make it impossible for Palestinian students from Gaza to take their place at British academic institutions. Led by students in the UK and Palestine, the campaign advocates for over 40 students from Gaza who have been offered full scholarships to study at 24 UK universities but are unable to obtain visas due to a biometric data requirement that they are unable to provide. Israel's ongoing destruction in Gaza makes it near impossible for Palestinians to access consular services for foreign nations. The Gaza Visa Application Centre (VAC) has been closed since the start of Israel's war on Gaza in 2023, meaning that students are unable to submit the necessary biometric services. The campaign's open letter calling on the government to make an exception for the affected students has over 1,400 student signatures across 111 universities as of Thursday morning. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Gaza40 campaigners demand the deferral of biometric data requirements and safe passage for Palestinian students to reach the UK. Similar waivers to the one being demanded have previously been issued by the UK for Ukrainian and Afghan students. 'The refusal to extend similar accommodations to Palestinian students in Gaza, where the risk to life is equal if not more severe, amounts to discriminatory treatment,' the letter says. Dreams on hold Baraah, a Palestinian doctor in Gaza who only gave her first name, was awarded the Chevening Scholarship to study Women and Children's Health at King's College London. She told MEE: 'This scholarship was my dream – a light in the middle of years of war, fear and exhaustion.' At least for now, the dream is on hold. 'I have spent years serving my people in Gaza through war and pandemics," she said. "All I want now is a chance, a chance to study, to grow, and to return stronger to help rebuild what war has broken.' 'All I want now is a chance to study … and to return stronger to help rebuild what war has broken' - Baraah, Palestinian doctor Manar, a two-time PhD scholarship awardee who also preferred to speak to MEE under her first name, said that her home in Rafah was completely destroyed by Israeli forces in May 2024. Since then, she has been displaced 14 times and has lost at least 22 family members. In May this year, she was awarded the prestigious Cara fellowship to pursue her PhD at the University of Glasgow. 'Every attempt to pursue this dream has been blocked by war, displacement, and border closures,' she explained. Gaza40 organisers told MEE that the initiative, which was officially launched this week, began with advocacy efforts for individual students at various UK universities, and has developed into a national campaign driven by British students and the Palestinian students affected by the UK's visa policies. Through a network of Palestine solidarity societies, Islamic societies, human rights groups and other student groups, the campaign aims to amplify the stories of affected students and build awareness to pressure UK lawmakers. Sanaa, another student from Gaza, told MEE that she was admitted to an Education Master's programme at the University of Durham. She had to complete her application under gruelling conditions: 'To apply for this scholarship I wrote my essays by hand often under the light of my phone's flashlight. I took my English language test under the sound of shelling. How Unrwa school closures could damage the education of hundreds of Palestinian children Read More » 'I am not asking for charity,' she added. 'There is no way for me to leave Gaza or complete my visa procedures without international diplomatic coordination and humanitarian access.' Over 16,000 students have been killed by Israeli forces since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, as of June 2025. Israeli strikes have damaged at least 20 higher education institutions in Gaza. "This campaign is not just about visas. It's about dignity,' Baraah told MEE. Leen, one of the 40 Palestinian students affected, said that she and other students were not asking for favours, but 'a functional, safe and urgent solution'. 'I hope this campaign reminds the world that Gaza's youth are still here, still dreaming and still fighting to learn, and that we will not be erased,' she added.
