Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates, in cooperation with the World Health Organisation, conducted an urgent humanitarian initiative on Wednesday to evacuate 97 critically wounded people and patients from the Gaza Strip including cancer patients in need of an extensive treatment.
They evacuated people were also accompanied by 155 of their family members and 142 children. They were flown to Abu Dhabi from Ramon airport in Israel, via Karam Abu Salam crossing, to receive vital medical treatment.
Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, said: “The evacuation flight, which is the second flight to depart from Ramon airport, highlights the UAE’s efforts to provide advanced medical care to injured Palestinians.”
Unwavering support
Al Hashimy added: “The new initiative to evacuate injured and sick Palestinians reflects the UAE’s unwavering commitment to support the Palestinians during the disastrous conditions witnessed in the Strip. We will continue to closely work with our international partners and the United Nations to lead and intensify efforts aiming to alleviate this humanitarian catastrophe.”
For his part, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation, said: “We once again thank the UAE for its support of this evacuation of the sick and wounded from the Gaza Strip to receive the urgent care they need. We continue to hope that this and other initiatives will show what is possible and make more evacuations happen for more people. And once again, the World Health Organisation calls for a ceasefire.”
UAE’s humanitarian efforts
Since the beginning of the crisis, the UAE has carried out extensive efforts to enhance the humanitarian response provided to wounded and sick Palestinians, and support them during the ongoing critical conditions.
In this regard, the UAE has evacuated 1,655 patients accompanied by their family members as part of previous initiatives. With the latest flight, the number of evacuees has reached more than 1,917 patients and family members. Furthermore, the UAE has provided over 40,000 tonnes of urgent aid including food, medical, and relief supplies, through 10 ships, 1,300 trucks, 316 flights, and 104 airdrops as part of the “Bird of Goodness” campaign, bringing the total amount of the humanitarian aid sent to Northern Gaza via airdrops to more than 3,450 tonnes.
