DUBAI: As winter weather bears down on displaced families in the Gaza Strip, the UAE has announced a new shelter shipment aimed at protecting tens of thousands of people.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has directed that tents be sent to provide shelter for 50,000 people, the Dubai Media Office reported on Tuesday.
How the aid will be delivered
The tents will be supplied by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation and distributed across Gaza in co-operation with the UAE’s Operation Gallant Knight 3. Gulf News framed the directive as urgent emergency shelter aid linked to flooding risks and harsh winter conditions.
The timing reflects a seasonal pressure that aid agencies have flagged repeatedly. Much of Gaza’s displaced population lives in tents and makeshift structures, which offer little protection against heavy rain, wind and cold. The National reported this week on a deadly landslide affecting tents, describing it as a warning of what winter may bring.
A response from Abu Dhabi
Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, welcomed the move. He described the situation facing Gazans as heartbreaking and said conditions there are a reminder of the scale of suffering and the need to step up relief efforts. He added that the UAE would remain steadfast in its giving and loyal to its commitment to the Palestinian people.
The scale of the UAE’s effort
The new shipment sits within a much larger operation. Operation Gallant Knight 3 was launched on November 5, 2023, on the directives of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, and marked its third anniversary last week. The UAE says it has delivered more than 136,000 tonnes of aid valued at $4.16 billion to Gaza, and that its contribution accounts for about 46 per cent of all international humanitarian assistance to reach the enclave.
The operation has changed shape over time. It began as an emergency relief effort and has grown into a broader system covering food, medical care, shelter and psychosocial support. Dubai has also run its own parallel channels, including airlifts of medical supplies coordinated through Dubai Humanitarian. An air bridge carrying World Health Organization medical supplies to Gaza was facilitated in August under Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s directives.
Why shelter matters now
Shelter has become one of the most pressing gaps in humanitarian planning for Gaza. Tents provide only limited protection, but when rain turns ground to mud and temperatures fall at night, even basic coverings can reduce exposure-related illness and keep belongings dry. For families who have been displaced repeatedly, a weatherproof tent can be the difference between a manageable night and a dangerous one.
Delivery, however, is rarely simple. Aid agencies have long pointed to logistical obstacles, from crossing procedures to distribution within the territory. The announcement says the tents will be delivered and distributed to several areas, but it does not give a delivery timetable or specify the routes that will be used.
What happens next
The Dubai Media Office has not detailed when the first consignments will arrive or how many tents will be sent in each shipment. Operation Gallant Knight 3 has typically coordinated with partners on the ground and with regional logistics hubs, and updates are usually issued through the UAE’s state news agency as shipments are dispatched.
For now, the directive underlines how the UAE continues to treat Gaza relief as a sustained commitment rather than a one-off gesture, even as the country manages its own security and economic pressures from the wider regional conflict.
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