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Meet UAE youngsters helping build Gaza water pipeline, supporting children emotionally
Eight young Emiratis are now in Rafah to lead life-saving aid for Gazans behind the border, becoming the UAE's first youth delegation to lead international humanitarian operations as they work from Al Arish, Egypt, supporting the coordination of relief for 600,000 Palestinians.
The group of youth, aged in their mid-twenties to early thirties, are currently taking part in the management of everything from water pipeline operations to psychological support for children as part of Operation Gallant Knight 3.
"The moment of coordinating relief shipments was a turning point in my volunteer experience, where I witnessed the direct impact of UAE efforts and was able to contribute to the direct impact," Ibrahim Talal Al Blooshi told Khaleej Times about his work managing aid distribution from the field.
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Engineer Taiba Youssef Al Hammadi is applying her technical skills to accommodation facilities and water distribution. She said, 'My work in the setting of desalination plants showed me how a technical engineer can truly have an impact on community engagement and humanitarian affairs.'
Their deployment coincided with World Humanitarian Day, when Dr Sultan Saif Al Neyadi, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, visited them in Al Arish to witness their operations firsthand.
Saif Mubarak Al Amri, who supervises medical and food aid distribution, explained his motivation: "I took part in this initiative as I am always keen on representing the UAE and taking part in its global works. I wanted to use my skills in logistics and apply it here to have an impact,' he told Khaleej Times about overseeing supplies reaching Gaza's population.
The delegation operates within the UAE's massive relief effort that has conducted 73 airdrops and delivered over 31,000 tonnes of aid to Gaza. But their role goes beyond logistics — they're providing psychological support and building connections with beneficiaries.
Ali Khalifa Al Muhairi focuses on children's welfare: "Supporting children psychologically and socially was a distinctive moment, where I felt that hope is built just as material aid is built," he said.
The Youth Social Missions Programme represents the first formal deployment of Emirati youth for international humanitarian work. Previous volunteers worked domestically at events like 'Tarahum for Gaza', Expo 2020 and COP28, but now they're taking those skills to crisis zones.
"These youth embody the UAE's values of solidarity and giving, demonstrating their readiness to stand at the forefront," Al Neyadi said in a statement during his field visit.
The young professionals come from diverse backgrounds — engineering, political science, media, and logistics — bringing fresh perspectives to traditional humanitarian work while learning crisis response firsthand.
Their current mission includes supporting the UAE Lifeline pipeline delivering water to Gaza, coordinating with international relief teams, and documenting their experiences to train future delegations.
The programme launches under the National Youth Agenda 2031, and has different streams that allow youth to engage in the country's different visions.
