The first batch of UAE wheat assistance, around 65,800 tons, arrived in the al-Salif seaport of Hodeidah governorate. It is hoped it will be distributed to around one million beneficiaries of the Social Welfare Fund under the sponsorship of local councils, Minister of Industry and Trade Yahya al-Mutawakel said.

EGYPT'S First Lady Suzanne Mubarak, the chairperson of the Egyptian Red Crescent, proposed a standing committee to ramp up aid distribution for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where an Israeli military offensive has entered its third week.