The President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, has provided 5 million dollars (more than 4.6 million euros) for the UN mission of former minister Sigrid Kaag in the Gaza Strip. The pledge was made one day after a meeting between Kaag and the UAE Foreign Minister on Friday, according to the state news agency WAM.

Kaag was appointed by the United Nations at the end of December as a special envoy to coordinate humanitarian aid and reconstruction in Gaza. To this end, the D66 member resigned from her position as finance minister and deputy prime minister on January 8.

In a statement, it was said that the UAE wanted to support Sigrid Kaag "in her efforts to alleviate the suffering of the people of Gaza" to "increase the urgent need for humanitarian aid".

According to the UN, at least 90 percent of the 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been displaced by the Israeli army's (air) attacks since the war began in October. According to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which published a corresponding report at the end of January, the complete reconstruction of the enclave "will take several decades and cost many billions of dollars".