Gulf News reports that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United Nations (UN) have sought the international community’s help in providing assistance to the war-torn Gaza strip.

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates and the United Nations have called on the international community to come forward to extend assistance to the people of Gaza who are passing through difficult times.

“These are exceptionally dangerous and difficult times for the people of Gaza, and it is imperative that the international community extends its assistance wisely,” said Abdul Haq Amiri, Head of United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Dubai.”

With the escalating violence in this latest episode in a thousands of years-old conflict, being caught in the crossfire are innocent civilians, mostly on the Palestinian side.

According to the report, more than 900 Palestinians have been killed, and about 4,000 injured, mostly women and children, since the attacks began December 27th last year. At this time, though aid–in the form of food, supplies, fuel, etc.–is hard to come by. Even as aid and support have resumed, there is widespread obstruction of humanitarian assistance.

The U.N. announced Friday that it would resume staff movement and aid deliveries in Gaza after receiving assurances from the Israeli Ministry of Defense that aid workers would be better protected. It had suspended some of its work Thursday after gunfire from an Israeli tank killed one aid truck driver and injured two others.

Among gulf countries, only Saudi Arabia and the UAE are extending assistance through the UN; other nations in the region are skeptical of the UN’s motives behind its assistance. Still, with casualties and injuries escalating due to the conflict, it makes sense for nations–from both sides of the conflict–to extend assistance to the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.

Originally posted on January 13, 2009 @ 11:59 am