Israeli military vehicles along the border with the Gaza Strip, May 6, 2025. (Credit: Jack Guez.)
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) have reached an agreement with Israel to facilitate the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip, as per a statement released on Wednesday by the official UAE news agency WAM.
UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan "held a phone conversation with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, leading to an agreement allowing the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid from the United Arab Emirates," according to the statement. "The aid will initially cater to the food needs of approximately 15,000 civilians in the Gaza Strip," the statement specified.
Under international pressure due to the blockade starving the Palestinians in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Monday that Israel must prevent famine in Gaza "for diplomatic reasons," following the announcement of a limited resumption of humanitarian aid to the small Palestinian territory. He added that "images of mass starvation" could undermine the legitimacy of Israel's wartime efforts.
Israel announced on Sunday that it would permit a limited resumption of humanitarian aid while launching "major ground operations" in Gaza. On Tuesday, Israel reported the entry of 93 U.N. trucks into the Gaza Strip, with the U.N. confirming the passage of "several dozen" trucks that day.
More than two months after Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza on March 2, food and medicine shortages are hitting the Gaza Strip hard. The coastal territory faces a "critical risk of famine," according to the IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) report published on May 12.
The UAE and Israel formally established diplomatic relations with the Abraham Accords in 2020.
