UAE’s Lifeline to Gaza: Desalination Infrastructure and Medical Relief in Action

As Gaza endures a mounting humanitarian catastrophe, marked by collapsed infrastructure, rampant water shortages, and overwhelmed medical systems, the United Arab Emirates has mobilized a sweeping relief response through Operation Gallant Knight 3. This mission represents one of the most comprehensive regional efforts in recent years, spanning water security, healthcare delivery, evacuation support, and logistical aid.

Key to the mission is the construction of desalination plants and a dedicated water pipeline from Egyptian Rafah to southern Gaza’s Al-Mawasi area, providing 4.5 million liters of potable water daily and delivering at least 15 liters per person per day to over 600,000 Gazans. Beyond water, Gallant Knight 3 has launched field and floating medical facilities, orchestrated complex evacuations of critically ill patients, and deployed massive aid shipments exceeding 30,000 tonnes to people in need.

By tackling water scarcity and healthcare access simultaneously, the UAE’s multi-tiered response aims to stabilize and sustain life under increasingly dire conditions.

1. Water Solutions: Desalination and Pipeline Infrastructure

The UAE established six desalination plants near Rafah, Egypt, doubling production capacity to approximately 4.5 million liters per day, sufficient for hundreds of thousands of people. Complementing this, a 6.7‑km pipeline now transports clean water into Gaza’s southern communities, ensuring independence from disrupted regional grids . Initial plants inaugurated in Dec 2023 served ~300,000 Gazans daily, marking the project’s swift humanitarian impact.

2. Medical Infrastructure: Field and Floating Hospitals

Under this operation, a 400‑patient field hospital, carried on a dedicated aid ship, sailed from Abu Dhabi and is en route to support Gaza, equipped with 16 ambulances. Additionally, land-based 200‑bed field hospitals in southern Gaza and a floating hospital anchored off Al‑Arish provide surgeries, ICU treatment, lab services, radiology, and more.

3. Medical Evacuations of Critical Cases

The UAE, working alongside international partners, has carried out multiple evacuation flights, bringing critically ill Gaza patients, including children and cancer patients, to UAE hospitals for urgent treatment. In one recent effort, 155 patients were safely evacuated . The evacuation efforts have treated and relocated thousands to date.

4. Humanitarian Aid Deliveries and Logistics

Through land, air, and sea routes reaching Al‑Arish and Gaza, the UAE has delivered over 29,000 tonnes of essential supplies, food, medical equipment, shelter materials, and more, via convoy networks, aircraft, and maritime vessels . This includes convoys carrying dialysis machines, surgical tools, medications, and shelters: approximately 249 tonnes of medical aid and provisions via 35 trucks recently.

5. Additional Medical Support and Volunteer Deployment

By the end of 2023, Gallant Knight 3 had deployed 35 medical volunteers, specializing in surgery, pediatrics, and critical care, to Gaza’s field hospital, where over 100 surgeries and 443 patient treatments were conducted in just two weeks. These efforts reinforce local capacity amidst strained health facilities.

Through coordinated water supply systems, medical infrastructure, complex patient evacuations, and supply logistics, Operation Gallant Knight 3 embodies the UAE’s broad humanitarian commitment to Gaza. It delivers both immediate relief and long-term resilience in a region grappling with crisis, demonstrating how swift, integrated aid can truly save lives.

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