Gaza relief: UAE resumes airdrops as Israel opens airspace to foreign aid
In a statement posted on Saturday (July 26), the minister said the humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached a critical and unprecedented level, underscoring the urgent need for sustained international aid efforts.
'The United Arab Emirates remains at the forefront of efforts to deliver life-saving assistance to the Palestinian people,' he wrote. 'We will ensure essential aid reaches those most in need, whether through land, air or sea.'
Check out his full statement below:
The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached a critical and unprecedented level. The United Arab Emirates remains at the forefront of efforts to deliver life-saving assistance to the Palestinian people. We will ensure essential aid reaches those most in need, whether through�
— عبداÙ�Ù�Ù� بÙ� زاÙ�د (@ABZayed) July 26, 2025
Reiterating the country's long-standing humanitarian stance, Sheikh Abdullah affirmed: 'Our commitment to alleviating suffering and providing support is resolute and unwavering.'
His remarks come as reports emerge that Israel will allow foreign countries to begin parachuting aid into Gaza starting Friday, according to Israeli army radio, which cited a military official.
The Gaza health ministry says more than 100 people have died from starvation in the Palestinian enclave since Israel cut off supplies to the territory in March.
Israel, which has been at war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza since October 2023, lifted that blockade in May but has restrictions in place that it says are needed to prevent aid from being diverted to militant groups.
In the first two weeks of July, the UN children's agency UNICEF treated 5,000 children facing acute malnutrition in Gaza.
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday Gaza was suffering man-made mass starvation caused by a blockade on aid into the enclave.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
3 hours ago
- Zawya
The European Union (EU) has not cut down on its humanitarian assistance to address food insecurity in Nigeria
Following a press release published on 25 July by the non-governmental organisation MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), mentioning alleged 'massive cuts' by the European Union (EU), among other international donors, in the response to the nutrition insecurity in Nigeria, the EU Delegation in Nigeria would like to communicate that this information is unsubstantiated and inaccurate, as the level of EU humanitarian support granted by the EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Office ECHO in Nigeria in the first half of 2025 has in fact been similar to the one provided in the first half of 2024 and, as done in previous years, the EU is working to increase the amount with additional top ups. Like in 2024, a significant part of ECHO assistance in Nigeria focuses on nutrition, health and food assistance emergency. The EU Delegation takes note of the revised version of the press release published today by MSF, which eliminates the mention of the European Union when speaking of massive cuts by international donors. While commending the work performed by MSF teams, partly through EU funding, to help malnourished children and their mothers in Nigeria, as witnessed by the EU Ambassador during his recent visit to Sokoto State on 19-20 July, the EU Delegation underlines the importance of communicating verified and accurate information on this matter of utmost importance for the Nigerian people. It reiterates the call launched by the EU Ambassador, during his 22 July joint press conference with the Honourable Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction as well as humanitarian partners to urgently enhance resources from domestic and international sources to address the emergency nutrition situation particularly in North-West and North-East Nigeria. The EU Delegation wishes once more to highlight that the EU is keeping its financial commitments and its general level of support across the board in the framework of its partnership with Nigeria. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Delegation of the European Union to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and ECOWAS.
Khaleej Times
7 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
UAE: More women are choosing to freeze their eggs despite social stigma; here's why
This year, 25-year-old Arab expat M.A. is making a bold and proactive decision of freezing her eggs. A communications professional based in the UAE, M.A. said it wasn't an easy conversation to have, especially coming from a conservative Arab background. "It took me a lot of courage to broach this subject with my family. But my parents were open-minded and supportive of my decision," she shared. "I am nowhere close to even meeting a partner, let alone getting married. That is why I decided that I want to take this step. I am the eldest of three girls and I think I am going to set an example for my sisters as well," she added. M.A. is one of a growing number of women in the UAE exploring fertility preservation. In recent months, several events have aimed to educate and empower women about their reproductive choices. In May, science and technology company Merck partnered with femtech firm Ovasave to host an evening of discussion to encourage more women to take informed decisions about their fertility. Earlier this month, media agency TishTash followed suit with an event focused on IVF and egg freezing. Growing interest 'I have seen a noticeable rise in interest from women seeking information about egg freezing,' said Cassie Destino, founder of IVF Support UAE. 'As fertility preservation becomes a more mainstream conversation, more women are learning about their options and recognising that this kind of proactive healthcare can be an empowering choice for their future.' According to Dr Charles Badr Nagy Rafael, consultant obstetrics and gynaecology at Medcare Women and Children Hospital, he has seen more women opting for egg-freezing. 'More women are freezing their eggs in their late 20s and especially by 30s for various reasons such as focusing on career, waiting for the right partner, or managing health issues like endometriosis,' he said. 'It's an empowering option that gives women more control over their future.' He added that many women learn about their infertility only when they start trying for a child and often times, it is too late. 'If women often have painful periods, discomfort during intimacy or ongoing pelvic pain, it could be a sign of endometriosis,' he said. 'The good news is, we have ways to detect it early like simple scans or minor procedures and explore options like egg freezing or treatment to help protect your future fertility. The key is not to wait talk to your doctor early if something doesn't feel right," he added. Sarrah Barakat, government affairs – access and communications director at Merck Gulf said she wished she had known about the option to freeze her eggs when she was younger. "I had my son at 38, and the entire pregnancy was filled with anxiety — worrying about age-related risks like Down syndrome and other such issues that could show in late pregnancies,' she recalled. She believes that as society encourages women to pursue careers and delay traditional paths like marriage and motherhood, it's essential they're made aware of their reproductive choices. "It is really just about giving them another option.' Stigma persists Despite rising awareness, many women still face challenges in accessing egg freezing and IVF — primarily due to cost. 'Because it's not considered an 'essential' healthcare in the way disease treatment is, many women hesitate to spend that kind of money, especially on something that feels uncertain or far off in the future. There's also a perception that the process will be long, painful, or overly complicated. "In reality, it's far more manageable than many expect. But it can still feel like a major step, especially when you're not even sure if you'll ever need to use the frozen eggs. That emotional and financial unknown can be a real hurdle for many women," Cassie noted. Dr Charles added that although things have gotten a lot better, there is still some stigma around the biological clock and fertility risks. 'There's still a long way to go,' he said. 'With all the talk about IVF and egg freezing, many young women think they can hit pause on fertility, but biology still plays by its own rules. Egg quality naturally declines with age, even if you feel perfectly healthy. That's why we encourage open, honest conversations early on so you can plan your future with confidence.'
Middle East Eye
8 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
UK urged to move fast after PM signs off on receiving wounded Gaza children
A British organisation bringing children from Gaza to the United Kingdom for medical treatment has called on the UK government to "urgently operationalise" a plan to bring 30 wounded children after the prime minister announced further evacuations late on Friday. In a recorded video, Keir Starmer said that the UK had "put millions of pounds of aid into Gaza", including an extra £40m this year, but "that help is not getting in". "So we are scaling up our work. We are accelerating efforts to evacuate children from Gaza who need critical medical assistance, bringing them to the UK for specialist medical treatment," he said. Starmer's comments were welcomed by the UK-based Project Pure Hope (PPH), which brought the first two - and, so far, the only - Palestinian children from Gaza to the UK for treatment earlier this year in partnership with the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund. The two girls, Rama, 12, and Ghena, five, came to the UK from Egypt with congenital conditions and have been receiving life-saving treatment in the private wings of leading London hospitals, funded entirely by charitable donations. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Over a month ago, PPH asked the government to help facilitate and fund a cohort of 20-40 acutely ill and suffering children to come directly from Gaza to the UK, and had been awaiting a decision. Now, with Starmer's sign off, PPH is urging the government to move quickly, saying it has already paved the way for such evacuations with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Israeli and Jordanian authorities, and could activate its plan to bring the group of children immediately. "Time is of the essence," said Omar Din, one of PPH's co-founders. "Every day of delay risks the lives and futures of children who deserve a chance to recover and rebuild." MPs pressure government Starmer's announcement came after nearly three dozen cross-party MPs called on the government to help facilitate legal pathways and also help with the costs for Palestinian children coming to the UK for treatment. The WHO estimates that at least 12,000 adults and children need to leave Gaza for specialised care. With a short list of countries willing to take them and Israeli authorities limiting those permitted to leave the enclave, aid workers and doctors say people are dying before they can get out. One major obstacle to bring Palestinian children from Gaza to the UK for medical treatment has been the difficulty in obtaining visas that require biometrics. The UK closed its only authorised biometric registration centre in Gaza in October 2023, leaving the nearest visa applications centres in Egypt and Jordan. In a 25 July letter to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Foreign Secretary David Lammy, the MPs recalled the case of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani campaigner for girl's education, who received life-saving surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham in 2012, four days after she was shot by the Taliban. Children will die quickly amid 'genocidal starvation' in Gaza, warns top famine expert Read More » The MPs, led by Labour's Sam Rushworth and including International Development Committee chair Sarah Champion, said the precedent "demonstrates what can be achieved with international co-ordination and political will". "If the government is not willing to defer biometric registration until arrival in the UK, we exhort you to work with the WHO, COGAT and the Jordanian government to secure passage to the consulate in Amman, where the relevant biomatrics check can be done prior to flying to the UK," they wrote. The MPs also raised the question of funding. With National Health Services facilites used, the government would apply the NHS tariff plus 150 percent surchage, meaning "costs can run to hundreds of thousands of pounds per patient", they said. They noted the role the UK had played in supporting just under half a million people to receive essential healthcare in Gaza and funding a polio vaccine campaign. "Could [Official Development Assistance] not be used to likewise support life-saving health care 'at cost' in the UK? Paediatric specialists around the UK stand ready to help," they wrote. "From the 669 children rescued by Sir Nicolas Winton on the Kindertransport 86 years ago, to the more recent Home for Ukraine scheme, the British people expect our country to play our part." Din told MEE that, in order to get started with bringing the group of children, his organisation is waiting for the government to confirm details, including funding and timing. MEE asked the Foreign Office on Monday when the government planned to start evacuating the children from Gaza, if it would allocate funding for their treatment, and whether their evacuations would be organised through a scheme like the one for the Ukrainians, but did not receive an immediate answer. On Tuesday, Din is scheduled to travel to Cairo to pick up Majd, the third child that PPH will bring to the UK for private medical treatment. "Whilst the UK scheme is getting off the ground, we carry on with our privately funded work," he said.
