Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, the UAE’s assistant minister for political affairs and envoy of the foreign minister to the European Union (EU), has called for an immediate ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza Strip.
The remarks were made on Monday, May 27, during a council session, which was part of a two-day set of high-level meetings in Brussels focused on the war in Gaza.
Nusseibeh attended along with foreign ministers from Egypt, jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as well as the Arab League Secretary General, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Wednesday, May 29.
The discussion emphasized the importance of enhancing EU-Arab cooperation to resolve the political conflict in Gaza, focusing on the Middle East Peace Process.
Throughout the meeting, Nusseibeh called for immediate ceasefire, humanitarian access, hostage release, international law respect, and renewed commitment by Israel and a reformed Palestinian Authority to the two-state-solution.
“The UAE is the largest bilateral humanitarian aid donor to Gaza,” she said.
“Since the start of the conflict, the UAE has delivered more than 32,000 tonnes of food, medical supplies and other items essential to alleviating the suffering of the civilian population.”
Nusseibeh also updated UAE on fighting victims’ medical treatment and drinking water access, and reported 1,100 tonnes of aid shipment through Cyprus’ maritime corridor.
However, she acknowledged that such efforts to improve border crossings are insufficient and called for immediate lifting of these restrictions.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed over 36,000 people, mostly women and children, in Gaza, primarily after Operation Al-Aqsa Storm by Hamas, resulting in more than 81,000 injuries.
