Ambassador Sultan Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for the UAE, stated that Egypt and the UAE are cooperating to support the people of the Gaza Strip, particularly in supplying water to the enclave.
During a phone interview with the Sada El Balad channel, he added that over the past four days, 143 trucks carrying food, medical supplies, and water have entered Gaza. He further explained that there are joint efforts between Egypt and the UAE to desalinate and pump water to the people of Gaza.
“We are working to ensure water reaches the people of Gaza and provide a free service to support and assist citizens,” he said. “This project provides up to 2 million gallons daily, which is enough for more than one million people a day, and we are working to extend the line to central Gaza.”
Ambassador Al Shamsi also noted that there is a UAE field hospital in Gaza and another in El Arish, which operates in coordination with Egypt. He added that there are currently 2,600 Palestinian patients and companions in the UAE. He stressed that the Gaza Strip is being continuously supported with all necessary medical supplies.
“The Rafah crossing remains open [from the Egyptian side], and there are Emirati warehouses to support the people of Gaza. A ship carrying over 7,000 tons of aid is also set to arrive in the coming days,” he continued.
The Israeli army had previously announced that, under the guidance of the political leadership, it approved the UAE’s initiative to lay a water line from a desalination plant in Egypt to the Al-Mawasi area in the Gaza Strip.
This comes after the UAE announced the implementation of its largest humanitarian project to date to supply desalinated water from Egypt to southern Gaza as part of its “Gallant Knight 3” operation. This is being done via a new pipeline measuring 315 mm in diameter and 6.7 kilometers in length, connecting the Emirati desalination plant in Egypt to the displacement areas between the governorates of Khan Yunis and Rafah in the southern Strip.
The project aims to provide 15 liters of desalinated water per day for each individual, serving approximately 600,000 affected residents, especially given that more than 80% of Gaza’s water facilities have been destroyed by the recent war.
The UAE announced the project as an urgent humanitarian response to the severe thirst crisis in Gaza. It reflects the UAE’s consistent approach to supporting the Palestinian people under exceptional circumstances.
The UAE’s efforts also include supporting Gaza’s water sector by establishing desalination plants, supplying municipalities with water tankers, drilling and maintaining wells, and repairing water networks, with a focus on improving access to clean water in the most affected areas of the southern Strip, particularly between Khan Yunis and Rafah.
This project is expected to help alleviate the water crisis faced by Gaza’s residents and reflects regional and international cooperation in confronting the escalating humanitarian situation in the enclave.
