The UAE has launched a winter clothing campaign aimed at supporting nearly one million people in the Gaza Strip. The Zayed Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation said the initial phase has already delivered 5,000 winter kits containing 50,000 jackets, seasonal essentials and blankets to Gaza.
Abdulaziz Al Zaidi, director of community services at the foundation, said the campaign is designed to ease the hardship faced by displaced families as colder weather sets in, with many still living in temporary and unstable shelters. Nearly two million Palestinians in Gaza remain displaced, and aid officials warn that the approaching winter could deepen an already severe humanitarian crisis.
The clothing drive follows a shipment sent just a week earlier, which included 781 tonnes of food and shelter materials along with nine water tankers. All UAE aid to Gaza is routed through the UAE Humanitarian Aid Logistics Centre in Al Arish, Egypt, before being distributed inside the strip.
Since October 2023, the UAE has sent more than 14,290 lorries carrying a cumulative 136,439 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza, positioning the country as one of the largest suppliers of relief to Palestinians throughout the conflict.
Gaza health authorities put the Palestinian death toll since the war began at more than 73,700, underscoring the scale of the humanitarian toll the campaign is responding to. The winter initiative is focused in particular on children, the elderly and families sheltering in tents and makeshift housing, aiming to provide at least a baseline of warm clothing and protection before the coldest months of the year arrive.