Experts: UAE leads an advanced model in humanitarian work within the Gaza Strip, supported by the UAE International Aid Agency

The "Gallant Knight 3" humanitarian operation concluded its Volunteer Work Week activities, after implementing a wide range of humanitarian and voluntary initiatives in various areas of the Gaza Strip. These included blood donation campaigns, cleaning campaigns, organizing a medical day within the camps, distributing various relief aid, and launching initiatives to support patients, workers, and athletes, as part of its continuous efforts to alleviate the suffering of the residents and enhance the spirit of community solidarity.\n\nAs part of the week's activities, the "Gallant Knight 3" operation carried out a voluntary day at Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, which included removing rubble and cleaning the hospital grounds, as well as planting trees, watering, and installing benches in the outdoor area, with wide participation from volunteers, in support of health facilities and to enhance the hospital environment and services provided to patients.\n\nThis initiative comes within the efforts aimed at supporting health facilities and creating a more suitable environment within the hospital's surroundings, thereby supporting the continuity of medical services and enhancing the ability of health teams and patients to face the current humanitarian challenges.\n\nRepresentatives from a number of humanitarian organizations in the Gaza Strip participated in the voluntary day at Al-Shifa Medical Complex, along with the Logistics Support Manager at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Miranda Barakat, the Head of OCHA's office in the Gaza Strip, Taher Imam, the Director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, Mohammed Abu Salmiya, and the Director-General of the Ministry of Health, Munir Al-Bursh, in addition to staff from the Gaza Municipality.\n\nAt the conclusion of the Volunteer Work Week, the "Gallant Knight 3" operation reiterated its commitment to continue providing humanitarian and relief support to the residents of the Gaza Strip, by enhancing the response to the health, humanitarian, and service sectors, thereby contributing to alleviating the burdens on the residents and supporting their resilience in facing the harsh challenges and conditions witnessed in the Strip.\n\nExperts in political science and international law affirmed that the UAE's presence in the Gaza Strip has transcended the boundaries of traditional humanitarian response to emergency crises, establishing an advanced model for what is known as "sustainable humanitarian diplomacy," noting that the relief efforts led by the UAE have become a vital lifeline that combines urgent intervention with safeguarding human dignity and enhancing the elements of their resilience.\n\nIn exclusive statements to "Al-Ittihad," the experts explained that the UAE's leadership did not stop at launching air and sea bridges and delivering aid, but extended to the active field presence of national cadres at the heart of events, reflecting a firm leadership vision that places humans and their fundamental rights at the forefront of priorities, and contributes to supporting stability and rebuilding the elements of life in the Strip.\n\nDr. Haitham Omran, Professor of Political Science and International Law, stressed that the UAE was among the first countries to establish an integrated concept of humanitarian solidarity, affirming that the UAE's support for the Gaza Strip is not a circumstantial or temporary response, but an extension of a deeply rooted humanitarian approach that has made UAE relief work a global model to be emulated in terms of speed of response, efficiency of implementation, and comprehensiveness of humanitarian impact.\n\nOmran explained that the UAE's convoys of giving did not stop with the receding of confrontations, but moved from the stage of urgent relief amidst the flames to a deeper and more comprehensive stage based on rebuilding and restoring the elements of a dignified life in the Gaza Strip, embodying a firm humanitarian and moral commitment towards the Palestinian people and their just cause.\n\nHe pointed out that the "Gallant Knight 3" operation constituted an advanced model for integrated humanitarian work, as it transcended the concept of traditional aid and relief distribution, to transform into an integrated system that had a tangible impact on the lives of the residents, by supporting vital sectors and meeting urgent humanitarian needs on the ground.\n\nOmran affirmed that the UAE's vision is now based on sustainability and enhancing humanitarian recovery, by providing integrated housing solutions, and supporting the health, service, and livelihood sectors that affect the daily lives of Palestinian citizens, stressing that this approach reflects the UAE's keenness to instill hope and rebuild the elements of stability, and not just suffice with emergency response.\n\nHe added that UAE medical facilities played a pivotal role in saving thousands of lives by providing advanced specialized care, supported by continuous air and sea relief bridges, in addition to evacuating hundreds of wounded and injured people and cancer patients to receive treatment in UAE hospitals, in a scene that embodied the courage and humanity of UAE cadres working at the heart of the crisis to heal the wounds of their brethren in Gaza.\n\nThe Professor of International Law explained that the UAE's efforts were not limited to providing medical care, but extended to addressing the food and water crises through qualitative initiatives characterized by speed, boldness, and innovation, noting that the UAE was among the first countries to carry out air-dropping operations for humanitarian aid as part of the "Birds of Goodness" initiative, in addition to its active contribution to establishing and activating sea corridors that ensured the continuous flow of relief supplies to the Gaza Strip despite the complex field and logistical challenges.\n\nHe affirmed that the UAE's desalination plants located on the borders played a pivotal role in sparing the Strip a serious humanitarian and environmental catastrophe, after providing potable water to thousands of families, and contributed to reducing the risks of epidemics and diseases spreading, in light of the widespread collapse that affected infrastructure and basic services in the Gaza Strip.\n\nIn this context, Dr. Taysir Abu Jumaa, Professor of Political Science at the University of Palestine, stressed that the UAE's supportive stance towards the Palestinian people reflects a firm historical commitment, which has never been linked to a fleeting political or humanitarian circumstance, but is based on a firm vision based on supporting the Palestinian people and their resilience at various stages.\n\nAbu Jumaa said, in a statement to "Al-Ittihad," that the UAE played a pivotal role in supporting the Gaza Strip during the current crisis through the "Gallant Knight 3" operation, which has become one of the most prominent field humanitarian initiatives, after succeeding in reaching the most affected groups and meeting the needs of displaced persons in an urgent and organized manner.\n\nHe added that the UAE relief teams provided an exceptional model in humanitarian work in highly dangerous areas, where they continued to perform their duties despite the complex field challenges, affirming that the relatively improved security situation contributed to expanding the scope of movement of these teams and enabling them to reach affected areas more efficiently, which embodies a true UAE commitment to a field presence alongside the people of Gaza, and not just sending aid from afar.\n\nAbu Jumaa pointed out that the UAE, in parallel with relief efforts, was keen to launch humanitarian and community initiatives that restore hope within the Strip, most notably organizing mass weddings for Palestinian youth, considering that supporting youth, providing shelter, and helping them establish a stable life represents a clear message that the will to live in Gaza is stronger than war and destruction, and that enhancing social and psychological cohesion is an essential part of recovery efforts and rebuilding Palestinian society.