The key facts
- 10,000 winter kits (70,000 items) delivered to El-Arish on October 31, 2026
- The Winter Clothing initiative under Operation Gallant Knight 3 is designed to help one million people
- The kits were assembled by students and volunteers at Mohamed bin Zayed University for Humanities
New batch of winter aid arrives in El-Arish
A batch of 10,000 winter aid kits, containing a total of 70,000 items of clothing and heating supplies, arrived in El-Arish, Egypt, on Saturday, October 31. The consignment was provided by the endowment fund of Sheikh Saeed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and delivered as part of the Winter Clothing initiative, which operates under the umbrella of Operation Gallant Knight 3, The National reports. The initiative aims to support residents of the Gaza Strip during the harsh winter and is designed to reach one million people.
How the aid was assembled and delivered
The kits were assembled at a community event at Mohamed bin Zayed University for Humanities, staffed by students and volunteers. The logistics hub of the operation is the UAE humanitarian aid hub in El-Arish, where consignments are prepared and their transportation to Gaza is monitored. This is not the only winter supply channel: in October, Dubai Humanitarian launched an air bridge on the orders of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid — C-130 aircraft of the Dubai Royal Air Wing carry roughly nine tonnes of cargo per flight, the first flight delivered thermal blankets for UNICEF, and at least three more flights with blankets for children and vulnerable groups were planned.
Context: the scale of the operation and the situation in Gaza
The delivery of winter kits adds to an earlier shipment: on October 25, two UAE convoys delivered 260 tonnes of aid to Gaza, as The National also reported. According to the outlet, Operation Gallant Knight 3 remains the UAE's main aid mechanism for the Strip: since 2023, more than $4 billion has been sent, which, according to the outlet, amounts to 46% of global support for the enclave; the aid included 130,708 tonnes of cargo delivered by 796 aircraft, 25 ships and 14,483 trucks. The outlet also cites data on the humanitarian situation: around two million residents of Gaza have been displaced within the Strip, and Gaza's health authorities report more than 74,000 deaths since the start of Israel's military campaign. The US-backed ceasefire of October 2025 halted major combat operations, but, according to The National, Israeli strikes have not stopped, and progress toward a lasting peace remains minimal. The expected cold snap, the outlet notes, could worsen the already dire conditions for the displaced population.
