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The National
13 hours ago
- The National
UAE delivers $1.5bn in aid to Gaza as relief efforts continue
The UAE has delivered more than $1.5 billion in critical humanitarian support to Gaza since the start of the war with Israel, authorities revealed on Friday. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs set out the scale of the country's commitment to the besieged enclave and pledged to continue to deliver key support amid 'continuing catastrophic conditions'. In a message on social media, the ministry said the Emirates provided more support to Gaza than any other country, according to the Financial Tracking Service of the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The assistance includes providing medical support to 72,280 patients at hospitals in the UAE and the floating hospital in Al Arish, Egypt. More than 78,000 tonnes of aid have also been distributed to Gaza in partnership with international organisations. "The UAE continues to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, working to ease the severe suffering amid continuing catastrophic conditions," the ministry said. "As part of its steadfast humanitarian commitment, the UAE has delivered medical and relief aid to the Strip through all available means, by land, sea, and air, in addition to providing over $1.5 billion in financial assistance. "The UAE has also received hundreds of wounded and injured individuals for medical treatment in its hospitals. "These efforts reflect the UAE's enduring commitment to supporting the brotherly Palestinian people, and the country remains firmly dedicated to continuing its support for all those in need." Show of solidarity A UAE aid ship carrying 7,166 tonnes of supplies for Gaza left Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi on July 21. The Khalifa is heading to Al Arish Port in Egypt laden with 4,372 tonnes of food, 1,433 tonnes of shelter materials, 860 tonnes of medical supplies and 501 tonnes of health supplies, state news agency Wam reported. It is the largest aid vessel to be sent by the Emirates and comes as part of Operation Gallant Knight 3. It brings the total volume of aid sent by the UAE to Gaza to 77,266 tonnes. The ship is also carrying a fully equipped field hospital that can accommodate 400 patients and 16 ambulances, Hamoud Al Efari, the UAE Aid mission's co-ordinator, told The National. The UAE on Sunday resumed air drop aid missions to the Gaza Strip, in partnership with Jordan. The country's leadership has consistently stressed the need to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, improve the flow of aid into the territory and to pursue peace based on a two state solution. President Sheikh Mohamed on Wednesday held a phone call with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer regarding the worsening humanitarian crisis. The UAE leader praised Mr Starmer's statements regarding Britain's intention to recognise the Palestinian state. At least 60,249 Palestinians have been killed and 147,089 wounded since the war with Israel began in October 2023, according to the Hamas-run Gazan health ministry.
Middle East Eye
13 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
WHO calls for opening of Gaza crossings and demands 600 trucks be allowed daily
A spokesperson for the World Health Organization has demanded that the crossings into Gaza be opened and that 600 trucks be allowed into the enclave daily, Al Jazeera has reported. "The situation in Gaza is a man-made disaster that will end with the entry of aid. Airdropping aid is not a solution; the solution is to bring trucks into Gaza," the spokesperson said. The UN human rights office has said that 1,373 Palestinians have been killed while waiting for aid in Gaza since late May. "In total, since 27 May, at least 1,373 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food; 859 in the vicinity of [US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation] sites and 514 along the routes of food convoys," the UN agency's office for the Palestinian territories said in a statement. "Most of these killings were committed by the Israeli military," it added.
Zawya
a day ago
- Zawya
Exclusion, endurance, and the fight for inclusion
Marlene Le Roux has lived with the effects of disability since she was three months old. Now 57, she has spent decades confronting physical, structural, and social barriers. Resilience is part of her everyday reality, as she manages pain, stays engaged, and keeps going even when her body resists. Ms Le Roux had spent the day before speaking and dancing to mark South Africa's Freedom Day in Cape Town. By morning, her legs gave in. She was at the physio, acupuncture needles in her thigh to ease the pain. That pain, she says, is part of the "gift"– a lived experience that gave her the lens to understand the marginalization millions face every day. 'I have a job, that's why I could pay for treatment," she said. "Others with polio? They suffer. They die in their beds.' Her story begins with polio and builds into a fight fueled by loss, sustained by purpose, and anchored in a refusal to accept exclusion. She's lived the weight of exclusion twice over. First, as a child disabled by apartheid-era neglect, contracting polio at just three months old, after clinics denied the remaining vaccines to non-white children. And later, as a mother to her son Adam, who had profound cerebral palsy and required constant care. Adam later passed away, a loss that deepened her resolve. That urgency is also reflected in efforts across the United Nations system. In 2019, the UN launched the Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS) to promote accessibility, participation, and accountability in its operations. By 2023, more than 60 UN entities had adopted action plans under the strategy, and over $77 million had been mobilized to support more than 100 initiatives in 93 countries. Yet implementation remains uneven, with many persons with disabilities still facing barriers even within institutions that champion inclusion. At the Artscape Theatre Centre in Cape Town, where Ms Le Roux is the CEO, accessibility is built into the structure: automated doors, wheelchair seating, level entryways, tactile carpeting, comfort rooms. Staff receive training on both visible and non-apparent disabilities. Every feature is intentional, designed in consultation with those who use them. 'Life here at Artscape is very easy for people with disabilities,' said vocalist Nikita Scott, a wheelchair user. 'It feels like a second home. You just feel freer because there are no challenges you have to face as a disabled person.' Families raising children with disabilities find refuge at Artscape. 'They can attend performances and relax in a space that doesn't treat them as an afterthought,' Ms Le Roux said. 'Here, no one stares.' Artscape also supports grassroots groups, including Lief en Leed (Love and Sorrow), a community initiative in Mamre. Its founder, Michael September, who has speech and mobility impairments, said people still assume disability means incapacity. 'Artscape is one of the few places that sees our dignity first,' he said. Ms Le Roux's leadership style is grounded in presence and humility. It's not uncommon to see her joking with staff or sitting down for tea with the cleaning crew. 'No one should be invisible,' she said. 'Everyone here matters.' She helped launch the ArtsAbility Festival, an annual celebration that features performers with disabilities and challenges public perceptions through art and movement. The Unmute Dance Company, a regular participant, blends wheelchairs, crutches, and movement to challenge perceptions. 'Artscape focuses on what people can do, not what they lack,' she said. 'When they perform, you see ability. Not disability.' She sees these lessons as central to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially the pledge to 'leave no one behind.' 'We can't just have things on paper and expect it to work. It has to be in the fiscal budget, in the mindset, in the leadership.' To her, inclusion isn't a checklist but a cultural shift. She meets regularly with an advisory group of people with disabilities to keep the work grounded in lived experience. In 2024, she launched Warrior Woman, a petition and art installation to protest gender-based violence. She plans an annual march to parliament with the statue in hand. 'We've had enough of talking,' she said. 'Artscape is more than a theatre,' she said, adding that it's a platform to open doors and influence lives. 'I can look glamorous now because I have a job. I can pay for treatment; I can walk into the best orthopaedic surgeon. But what happens to others? They suffer. They die. My job is to open doors for them.' And she'll keep pressing forward, legs willing or not, until systems do too. Ms Le Roux's full interview can be watched in this episode of our Sustainable Africa Series Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
