'Thank You, Sheikh Mohamed': Starving Elderly Gazan With Ribs Sticking Out Receives UAE Aid

An elderly Palestinian with a frail body recites the adhan amid the tents of displaced people in the Gaza Strip-another witness to the devastating effects of the war that has been raging in the enclave for nearly two years.
Salim Asfour is a Gazan old man whose neighbours are accustomed to hearing the call to prayer in his beautiful voice, though this voice has waned and his features have changed due to severe hunger.

A global hunger monitor has said a famine scenario is unfolding in the Gaza Strip, with starvation spreading, children under five dying of hunger-related causes and humanitarian access to the embattled enclave severely restricted.

And the warnings about starvation and malnutrition from aid agencies keep coming.

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Images of hungry children clutching empty pots and pleading for food spread online, but the war's toll on the enclave's elderly is proving to be just as severe.

In an online video, Salim appears shirtless, revealing the alarming toll of hunger on his body. He laments his dire situation, saying,“I want to eat. I have no teeth to chew bread, so I soak it in water to help me chew and digest it... I've been living like this for three months.”

Watch the video here shared by Al Khamisa News Network on Facebook:

'Thank you to Sheikh Mohamed'

Salim's plea, however, did not go unanswered, and the UAE's Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, aimed at helping Gazans, stepped in to assist him.

UAE relief workers quickly assessed his condition and visited him. In a filmed interview with Diaa Abu Zaid, a member of the operation, Salim appeared with thin arms and legs, and a chest where his ribs were visible from extreme hunger.

The footage then shows Diaa and other relief workers carrying bags and boxes of aid supplies into Salim's tent. They contain all kinds of vegetables and fruits available in the market, along with flour, oil, and other essentials.

Diaa is then seen feeding Salim by hand. Salim responds:“I extend my thanks to Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and his family, and to the people of the UAE. I offer them my gratitude and respect. May God bless you, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, your people, your country, and your loved ones.”

Watch the full interview here:

Diaa then helps Salim put on a robe on his weak body, walks with him outside the tent, and kisses his head-a gesture of compassion that offers hope for an end to the suffering.

The UAE has been delivering aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip by air, sea, and lan for nearly a month. On Friday, the nation carried out its 66th airdrop of humanitarian aid over the enclave, in cooperation with Jordan and with the participation of Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Italy.

This brought the total amount of airdropped aid to more than 3,873 tonnes - a clear testament to the UAE's unwavering commitment to standing by the brotherly Palestinian people and supporting international humanitarian efforts.

With this tri-modal delivery system, the initiative has enabled the UAE to constitute 44 per cent of total international aid to Gaza to date, according to UN reports.

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