KEY POINTS

  • At least 50,000 people have been killed since the deadly earthquakes hit Syria and Turkey
  • The UAE has been providing humanitarian assistance to both countries
  • The third aid shipment reached Syria on April 16 with at least 2,000 tons of supplies

The UAE has sent a third aid shipment to Syria to support the victims of the deadly earthquakes that hit the country in February. The shipment, containing at least 2,000 of aid, was deployed under the directive of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The UAE's Minister of Defense took to Twitter Sunday and said that the shipment was delivered as part of Operation Gallant Knight 2. The aid ship reached the Latakia Port in Syria on Sunday.

"Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, 'may God protect him,' the arrival of the third Emirati aid ship of its kind to the port of Latakia, carrying more than two thousand tons of food and relief parcels, as part of Operation #TheGallantKnight2, which was launched by the Joint Operations Command of the Ministry of Defense," he tweeted.

The ship carried 2,215 tons of aid, including 1,392.5 tons of food supplies, 822.5 tons of relief and medical assistance and 685 tons of building materials which will be used to rebuild the areas most affected by the quakes.

Hammoud Abdullah Al Junaibi, Acting Secretary-General of the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), issued a statement, saying that the deployment of the aid shipment was in line with the UAE's goal to help curb the negative impact of the disaster. He also emphasized the UAE leadership's efforts to provide necessary humanitarian assistance for the people of Syria as they reel from the aftermath of the deadly quakes.

"The ERC will continue to scale up its humanitarian response for the best interest of the quake-affected people in Syria as part of 'Operation Gallant Knight/2," said Al Junaibi. "We are acting and moving in different directions to relieve the suffering caused by the disaster."

Earlier this month, the UAE's second aid ship docked at the Latakia Port in Syria. It carried more than 2,000 tons of humanitarian aid, including food parcels, relief and medical aid, clothes, tents and building equipment. The shipment was in continuation with the aid efforts carried out by the UAE for Syria since the disaster struck the country on Feb. 6. It has left at least 50,000 people dead in both Syria and Turkey.

At least 1,444 people died Monday across Syria after the devastating earthquake that had its epicentre in southwestern Turkey, the government and rescuers said
AFP