UAE president orders humanitarian operation to support Gaza

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced the commencement of the humanitarian operation Chivalrous Knight 3 on Sunday to support the Gaza Strip.

Al Nahyan ordered the Ministry of Defense to begin the humanitarian operation Chivalrous Knight 3 “to support the brotherly Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip,” the state news agency WAM reported.

He also ordered the Joint Operations Command to cooperate and coordinate comprehensively with all humanitarian and charity institutions in the country to provide humanitarian support to the Palestinian people in Gaza.

This includes also permitting doctors and health workers to volunteer to participate in the operation.

Last week, the Israeli army widened its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since the Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise offensive on Oct. 7.

The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli bombardments in the Gaza Strip has risen to 9,770, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave announced Sunday.

“The death toll as a result of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 is 9,770, including 4,800 children and 2,550 women,” the ministry said in a statement.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat