 Camelia Zainal Baqer Mohebi organized two pickup trucks for a personal contribution to the UAE campaign supporting Palestinians in Gaza. She loaded her trucks with children’s clothes from her business and added canned goods, candles, blankets, and other essentials from her supermarket. She also offered transport to anyone who couldn’t personally deliver their aid to Abu Dhabi.
Camelia was grateful for the opportunity to help and expressed her pride in being an Emirati, a country known for its quick response to those in need.
Camelia is one of many UAE residents who joined the ‘Compassion for Gaza’ initiative led by Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) to send aid to the besieged city of Gaza. Volunteers at Abu Dhabi Ports Hall in Mina Zayed packed thousands of kilograms of aid from 9 am onwards.
Outside the hall, essential items piled up as people rushed to contribute to the city heavily bombed since Hamas launched an offensive on October 7.
Inside, long queues of volunteers awaited their turn to help with packing care boxes, following a simple registration process and being called based on their registration time. One volunteer, who rushed to the hall in her work uniform after her shift, expressed her urgency to help due to haunting images from Gaza.
Families and individuals, some wearing Palestinian scarves, united to support the cause. Cash contributions were also accepted at counters.
Volunteers, including young children, packed items such as hygiene products, canned food, biscuits, baby food, and blankets. ERC announced plans to establish more collection points across the country in the coming days.