As part of its ongoing “Tarahum - for Gaza” campaign, the UAE today sent an aircraft carrying 68 tonnes of food supplies and relief aid to Al Areesh, Egypt, in preparation for transport into Gaza Strip through the Rafah Border Crossing, in cooperation with the UN World Food Programme (WFP). The shipment is part of UAE’s ongoing humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people affected by the ongoing conflict and aims to support the global drive to provide humanitarian and relief aid to the Palestinian people.

Sultan Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Development and International Organisations Affairs, said, “As part of the UAE's ongoing efforts to provide relief support to the Palestinian people, we are working on various fronts to provide humanitarian and relief support to our Palestinian brothers and sisters in Gaza Strip, through our cooperation with international organisations, including the WFP. To that end, urgent food supplies have been sent to be prepared for transport into Gaza Strip, and on another front, by launching the ‘Tarahum - for Gaza’ campaign, we are working to mobilise community efforts across all sectors and UAE community segments, including humanitarian and charity organisations and volunteering platforms.”

Al Shamsi added that, as part of the drive to ensure the highest levels of community participation, the campaign continues to organize new events, with three events to be held on Saturday, 21st October, from 9:00 to 14:00 at Qalaat Al Remal, Dubai, to be overseen by Dubai Cares, and on Sunday, 22nd October, from 9:00 to 14:00, one overseen by the Emirates Red Crescent at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) in Abu Dhabi, and another overseen by Sharjah Charity International (SCI) at Expo Centre Sharjah.

The events aim to prepare 25,000 relief packages with the support of volunteers from across the UAE, including citizens and residents, in addition to many public and private institutions, he explained.

The UAE and its wise leadership are steadfast in their efforts to support and deliver urgent relief aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza Strip, in line with the country’s commitment to supporting friendly peoples during times of crisis and the values that underpin the UAE leadership and community.

The “Tarahum - for Gaza” campaign aims to mitigate the severity of the humanitarian conditions and alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable groups, especially children, who constitute nearly half of the Gaza Strip’s population. More than one million children are affected by the current conflict, and the campaign will work to meet children's and mothers’ basic needs in addition to providing health supplies and general hygiene materials.

These new events follow the campaign’s successful first day on Sunday, 15th October, at Abu Dhabi Ports Hall in ‎Mina Zayed, where more than 4,500 volunteers prepared 13,000 relief packages, including food baskets and packages, for children, mothers, and women. The campaign is supervised by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Emirates Red Crescent Authority and the World Food Programme, and in coordination with the Ministry of Community Development. Additionally, 20 relief and humanitarian institutions are participating.

Those wishing to volunteer to help prepare relief packages can register through several volunteering platforms, including “Volunteers.Emirates”, the Emirates Red Crescent’s Volunteers Portal, the Day for Dubai Platform, and the Sharjah Volunteering Centre.