Today's Edition
ISIDORA CIRIC (ABU DHABI)
The UAE is the world's largest contributor to humanitarian operations in Gaza and the third-largest overall donor globally, according to the latest data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
OCHA's Financial Tracking Service shows that as of November 2025, the UAE has provided $1.46 billion in humanitarian funding, accounting for 7.4% of global contributions. It ranks behind only the European Commission and the United States.
In Gaza, the UAE has outpaced all other donors. Nearly half of all reported funding for the war-ridden enclave this year has come from the UAE, with $1.3 billion (43.7%) in total contributions so far. The United States followed with $331 million (11%), and the European Commission with $246 million (8.2%).
Under “Operation Chivalrous Knight 3,” the UAE has provided $2.57 billion (Dh9.4 billion) in humanitarian assistance to Gaza over the past two years.
The aid has included 100,000 tonnes of supplies, 2 million gallons of water, and the evacuation of nearly 3,000 patients and their companions for treatment in UAE hospitals. A field hospital in southern Gaza treated over 50,000 cases last year, the 2024 subsidised bread programme helped address growing food insecurity, and a polio vaccination campaign reached 640,000 children nationwide.
More recently, on October 30, an Emirati vessel carrying 7,200 tonnes of food, shelter and medical materials arrived at Egypt's Port of Al Arish for transfer to Gaza's hardest-hit areas. A day earlier, the country also dispatched the largest convoy of water tankers to northern Gaza to help address critical shortages.
Outside Gaza, the UAE ranked as the world's second-largest donor to Chad this year, with $56.6 million in aid, and the fifth-largest to South Sudan, with $28 million.
Food security and healthcare have been the main focus areas of the UAE's global humanitarian programme in 2025. Nearly half of the total assistance, $641 million (47%), was directed towards tackling hunger and improving food access, while $619 million (45.4%) backed various health initiatives. The remainder went to education, sanitation, and coordination and support services.
The OCHA Financial Tracking Service is the UN's central data platform for monitoring global humanitarian funding flows. It compiles verified reports from governments, UN agencies, NGOs and other entities to provide a real-time picture of global aid distribution and funding gaps.
