UAE's Hamdan ship carrying 7,000 tonnes of Gaza aid arrives in Egypt

An Emirati aid ship loaded with 7,000 tonnes of critical supplies for civilians in war-hit Gaza on Monday docked at Egypt's Al Arish port.

The Hamdan vessel had set sail from Abu Dhabi on August 30 in support of a major UAE humanitarian mission launched following the outbreak of war on October 7, 2023.

The vast ship was prepared and dispatched under the directives of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra and chairman of Emirates Red Crescent.

It carried 5,000 tonnes of food parcels, 1,900 tonnes of supplies for community kitchens, 100 tonnes of medical tents to enhance health services, in addition to five fully equipped ambulances.

It is the 20th such aid ship to be sent by the Emirates to help mitigate the impact of the raging conflict with Israel on Palestinians.

The UAE has delivered about 90,000 tonnes of aid, at a cost of $1.8 billion, to assist civilians bearing the brunt of a worsening humanitarian crisis.

At least 64,871 Palestinians have been killed and 164,610 wounded in Gaza since the war began, according to figures from the Gazan health ministry.

The Israeli military began its offensive after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel and killed 1,200 people.

In addition to providing crucial aid to Gaza, the UAE has reiterated the need for an end to hostilities to be secured, to bring peace and stability to the region.

President Sheikh Mohamed held a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron last week to issue a renewed call for peace and to reject any plans by Israel to annex the occupied West Bank, parts of occupied Palestine or to forcibly displace Palestinians.

They said such actions would pose a serious threat to hopes of enacting a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The two leaders repeated that there is a need to intensify international efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state, based on the principles of the long-proposed two-state solution.