Dubai, May 21, 2025: The United Arab Emirates has reached an agreement with Israel to facilitate the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, according to a statement issued Wednesday via Emirati state media.
The breakthrough comes amid growing international pressure on Israel to ease its military campaign and lift restrictions that have contributed to a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where aid agencies report severe shortages of food, medicine, and basic supplies.
According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed held a phone call with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, resulting in an agreement to begin aid delivery targeting approximately 15,000 civilians in the first phase.
“The aid will support the operation of bakeries in Gaza and provide critical infant care items, while ensuring continued supplies to meet civilians’ ongoing needs,” the UAE statement said.
While Israel reported that 93 aid trucks entered Gaza on Tuesday, the United Nations stated that much of the aid remains held up and distribution remains limited.
The UAE-Israel discussions also touched on broader regional diplomacy, including efforts to resume a humanitarian truce, secure a ceasefire, and facilitate the release of hostages.
The announcement follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent remarks acknowledging the necessity of allowing aid into Gaza to prevent famine, citing “practical and diplomatic reasons.”
The UAE, which normalized relations with Israel in 2020 under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, has previously sent aid to Gaza and hosted patients from the war-torn territory.
Meanwhile, Israeli military operations in Gaza intensified over the weekend. According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, at least 3,427 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, raising the overall death toll since the start of the conflict to 53,573.
