UAE to evacuate 85 sick Palestinians, 63 relatives to Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi [UAE], July 31 : The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday announced an urgent initiative to evacuate 85 sick Palestinians including cancer patients in need of extensive treatment and 63 family members from Ramon airport in Israel to Abu Dhabi via the Karam Abu Salem crossing, a statement said.
The statement added that the UAE is committed to support the people in Gaza.
Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation said, "At this critical time, the urgency of our mission to evacuate injured Palestinians to Abu Dhabi cannot be overstated. This unprecedented route reflects the gravity of the situation and our resolute commitment to alleviating the suffering of the people of the Gaza Strip and to ensure the arrival and distribution of relief through all available means, including land, sea and air. This initiative stands as a testament to the UAE's enduring and historic support for the Palestinian people, guided by our unwavering dedication to providing immediate relief and advancing peace in the face of immense adversity."
Reem Al Hashimy added that to date, the UAE has welcomed 709 patients from Gaza, along with 787 of their family members, to receive medical treatment. This follows the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President, to provide care for 2,000 injured and cancer patients from Gaza, the statement said.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Director-General of the World Health Organization, said: "We are thankful to the UAE for supporting the evacuation of sick and injured people from Gaza to receive the urgent care they need. We hope this paves the way for the establishment of evacuation corridors via all possible routes, including the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings to Egypt and Jordan, and from there to other countries. We also call for evacuations to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to be restored. Thousands of sick people are suffering needlessly. Above all, and as always, WHO calls for a ceasefire."
"T his significant scale-up in our efforts demonstrates our solidarity with the Palestinian people and our determination to alleviate their suffering and ensure urgent, sustainable, unhindered delivery of aid, at a wide scale and through all possible means. We remain resolute in our collaboration with international partners to ensure that our aid reaches those in desperate need," Reem Al Hashimy said.
Till date, the UAE has provided over 40,000 tonnes of crucial aid, including food, relief, and medical items, through 8 aid ships, 337 flights, 50 airdrops, and 1,271 trucks. The fourth UAE relief ship arrived in Al-Arish this week, marking the eighth shipment of aid, which carried 5,340 tonnes of humanitarian supplies, and is the largest shipment since the launch of the relief operations, the statement said.