UAE helps Gaza: What to donate, where to volunteer, all you need to know

Humanitarian aid workers on the ground have been sounding the alarm for days: Gaza needs help and the situation is getting worse 'by the minute'.

The total death toll in the war between Israel and Hamas has ballooned to more than 4,500 — with an airstrike killing at least 500 at a Gaza hospital on October 17. Hundreds and thousands of Palestinians have fled their homes, not knowing where to go. And with Gaza under siege, everything is running out: Food, water, electricity, fuel, all the basic needs for survival.

Coming together in compassion for those suffering in the brutal war, the UAE has begun a nationwide humanitarian drive to collect and mobilise relief for the most vulnerable — particularly the more than one million children who make up nearly half of Gaza Strip's population.

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Donations have been pouring in as the assembly of relief parcels started in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Licensed humanitarian organisations in the country — Emirates Red Crescent and Unicef Gulf — have opened channels where residents can donate in cash or in kind.

Here's a guide:

Where to send monetary donations

What to donate

For those who wish to donate in kind, ERC shared lists of items that people in Gaza need the most.

The organisation said donors could arrange the relief parcels in three categories: Food basket, children's basket, and women's basket.

For each basket, items have been specified, including the quantities:

For kids basket:

For women's basket:

For food carts:

Where to bring your donations

Emirates Red Crescent has branches across the UAE:

Alserkal Avenue also partnered with ERC to raise funds and gather essential in-kind donations from October 20 to 30 at Warehouse A1.

A number of malls across the UAE have also put up donation boxes.

Where to volunteer for relief packing initiatives?

The UAE's 'Tarahum for Gaza' campaign have been setting up relief centres where aid is being packed. Here's the schedule for this weekend:

Businesses contributing to the cause

From restaurants to baby shops, a number of businesses in the UAE have announced that they are donating full or a percentage of their sales for a certain period.

Among the food outlets that are sharing their blessings are Mama Rita, Maiz, Mamaesh, Burro Blanco, The Palestinian Bakery, Rascals Deli and Koala Picks. Online shops like Lullabae, Babies Basic, and Monkibox are also joining the cause.

ALSO READ:

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• 'Images haunt me': UAE residents race to donate, help Palestinians in Gaza

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