244th Emirati aid convoy enters Gaza Strip

The convoy consisted of 22 trucks transporting about 426 tonnes of humanitarian aid. The shipment included clothing packages for children -- containing new clothes and supplies --alongside food parcels, rice, and shelter materials that meet the needs of affected families in the Strip.

Ahmed Al Neyadi, Deputy Director of the UAE Humanitarian Aid Logistics Centre for Gaza in Al Arish, said, "This convoy carries a special humanitarian significance because a large portion of it is dedicated to orphaned children in Gaza through the initiative. It includes parcels that contain new clothes and supplies for children. Through the Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, we value this major humanitarian effort and hope that it contributes--even in a small way--to bringing joy and smiles to children's hearts in these difficult circumstances."

The initiative was launched last Ramadan by Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of The Big Heart Foundation, and Eminent Advocate for Refugee Children at UNHCR, in partnership with the Palestinian nonprofit "Taawon." The initiative aims to support more than 20,000 orphans in Gaza, ensuring their right to education, healthcare, psychological support, and essential needs until they reach adulthood.

As part of the campaign, The Big Heart Foundation organised the "Clothing for the Olive Children" initiative to provide boxed kits containing new clothing and essential items for Gaza's children, helping improve their living conditions and bring some joy into their daily lives amid the current humanitarian situation.

The campaign represents a distinguished model of Emirati humanitarian solidarity with Gaza's children. The initiative has been executed in cooperation with Operation Chivalrous Knight 3 to prepare and deliver aid boxes into Gaza through the logistics centre in Al Arish, ensuring that support reaches beneficiaries as quickly as possible through an integrated field system.

The convoy is part of a series of convoys and programs carried out under Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, launched by the UAE to aid the Palestinian people in Gaza through an integrated air, sea, and land relief bridge. The effort includes broad participation from UAE humanitarian institutions, reflecting the UAE's unwavering commitment to a humanitarian approach that does not pause for circumstance or time.

Al Neyadi added that the operation extends the UAE's long-standing humanitarian mission, which reflects the leadership's and people's steadfast position in supporting the Palestinian people. He emphasised that Operation Chivalrous Knight 3 continues its role in cooperation with UAE charitable and humanitarian organisations to provide support, aid, and relief to our people in Gaza through all available means and capabilities."

The operation -- which began more than two years ago in line with the directives of the UAE's wise leadership -- continues its efforts to secure food, medicine, shelter materials, healthcare services, and psychological and social support for Gaza's population. The operation has established a fully integrated logistics center in Al Arish, managed by the UAE's humanitarian response team, which coordinates and dispatches relief convoys on a continuous basis.

To date, the operation has contributed to delivering more than 100,000 tonnes of aid, reaffirming the UAE's steadfast stance in supporting the Palestinian people and alleviating their suffering by every possible means. (ANI/WAM)