Transporting Humanitarian Aid To Gaza To Evacuation, UAE Female Pilot Asma Saeed Al Ali: An Honor

Deployment of humanitarian aid to Gaza. (Wikimedia Commons/United States Air Forces Central/Staft Staff. Jasmonet Holmes)

JAKARTA - United Arab Emirates (UAE) female pilot Captain Asma Saeed Al Ali is honored to be able to help Palestinians by flying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, including a mission to prevent aid to areas that cannot be reached by road.

Captain Al Ali was part of the first UAE team to head to Al Arish City in Egypt, as part of the Gallant Knight 3 operation in November to provide assistance to those trapped in conflict.

"I was here from the start," the military pilot in Al Arish said, calling it his "national duty", told The National News as quoted July 16.

In addition to aid, Captain Al Ali also flew doctors and teams involved in the construction of floating hospitals and the UAE field as well as desalination factories to the Egyptian port city, along with equipment and other items needed for medical facilities.

Flying C-130 and C-17 aircraft, he was also involved in the evacuation of injured Palestinians. He has also made three deliveries by air to areas in Gaza that are not easily accessible by road.

"It is an honor to be able to offer assistance to Palestinians trapped in conflict," he said.

"I was honored when I heard on the news that they were called 'The Bird of Kindness'," he said.

Flying over the trapped Gaza Strip, Captain Al Ali said he often asked his pilot assistant to control the C-130 plane so he could observe the conditions below.

"I'm curious to see what's happening on the pitch," he said.

The images of destruction and destruction evoke mixed feelings, he said.

"Some of me are happy to see the aid palettes being dropped to help the community, but sad to see cities and streets destroyed by conflict," he said.

"You feel every way has a painful story to tell," he felt.

So far, the UAE has made dozens of shipments by air since February, partnering with teams from the Egyptian Air Force and Jordan. He believes it would be a personal victory for him and his country if shipments by air "made a child smile".

"Seeing a parachute from the sky is like seeing UAE's hands reach people inside Gaza," he said.

He said "operation to help our brothers and sisters in Gaza" would continue.

"I consider myself lucky because I got the opportunity to carry out this humanitarian task," he said.

"As an Emirati military pilot, I am always ready to serve anywhere and anytime," he concluded.

Separately, medical sources in Gaza on Monday said at least 22 Palestinians were killed and 102 others injured in Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours, quoted from WAFA.

Meanwhile, Gaza's health authorities confirmed that the Palestinian death toll from the Israeli attack since October 7 had risen to 38,664 and other 89,097 injured, with the majority of victims being women and children.