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Sunday, February 18, 2024
UAE diplomat warns Rafah operation will make ‘grim reality’ in Gaza even worse
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
A top Emirati official warns that an Israeli offensive in Rafah “will displace millions” and reiterates Abu Dhabi’s call for an “immediate ceasefire in Gaza.”
“An immediate ceasefire and urgent aid surge are needed to meet the mounting humanitarian calamity in Gaza. Half of the people are starving. The medical system has collapsed. Safe water is scarce. An impending Israeli offensive will displace millions,” says UAE Ambassador to the US Yousef al-Otaiba.
The Emirati envoy highlights a recent Senate appeal that affirmed a December UN Security Council resolution led by the UAE, which called for mobilizing large-scale aid, establishing a UN mechanism to accelerate deliveries, opening Israeli border crossings to relief supplies, appointing a UN Aid coordinator and releasing all hostages.
“With Egypt’s help, the UAE has mounted a major aid effort in Gaza: a field hospital and hospital ship, water purification systems, 160 planeloads of supplies, and the evacuation of 2000 injured children and cancer patients to Emirati hospitals,” Otaiba says.
“These and other efforts are not enough. We cannot allow Gaza’s grim reality to get any worse. The US and global community must act now. Mobilize aid at scale. Empower the UN to fast-track assistance. Protect civilians. And most critically, implement an immediate ceasefire,” he adds, in a rare statement.
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