ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates has rebuffed an Israeli appeal to finance a new relief operation in Gaza, dismissing the proposal as insufficient to tackle the territory’s worsening humanitarian plight, an Emirati source revealed on Friday.

The scheme, driven by the recently formed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), seeks to restore aid flows to Gaza while thwarting misuse by Hamas. Israeli delegates, including Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian of the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) and Moran Stav, an advisor to Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, met Emirati Minister for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy in Abu Dhabi on Thursday to present the plan. However, Hashimy conveyed that the UAE would not endorse the GHF effort as it stands, pointing to its narrow reach and disconnect from Gaza’s pressing demands.

A leaked GHF document indicates the project’s first phase would assist just 1.2 million of Gaza’s roughly 2 million inhabitants, leaving nearly half the population unsupported. The plan’s “Secure Distribution Sites” (SDS), meant to streamline aid delivery, have drawn flak from the United Nations and global relief groups as inadequate and possibly militarized, sparking fears of politicized aid distribution.

“The UAE stands firm: any effort must fully confront Gaza’s humanitarian emergency,” the Emirati source told The Jerusalem Post, speaking anonymously. “We’re open to backing a reworked plan that matches the crisis’s magnitude, but this one doesn’t cut it.”

The snub deals a heavy blow to Israel’s ambitions of rallying Gulf support for the GHF. Israeli leaders had hoped UAE involvement would spur other Gulf nations and global donors to pitch in, given the Emirates’ track record in regional aid work. The UAE’s decision echoes rejections by the UN and major relief organizations, which issued a joint statement this week refusing to engage with the GHF, arguing it “taints” aid with political motives and breaches principles of impartiality and neutrality.

Gaza’s crisis has spiraled since Israel enforced a blockade on March 2, 2025, halting all aid shipments after a ceasefire with Hamas collapsed. The blockade, aimed at pressuring Hamas to free 59 hostages, has triggered acute shortages of food, water, fuel, and medical supplies. The World Food Programme cautioned on Thursday that it has only four days of flour and ten days of other food stocks left in Gaza, with starvation looming. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports over 50,000 Palestinian deaths since the war’s onset on October 7, 2023, with children making up nearly 40% of recent losses.

Global scrutiny is intensifying on Israel to resolve the crisis. Sources say the Trump administration has pressed relief groups, including the World Food Programme, to align with the GHF, hinting at funding cuts for non-compliance. Yet, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has outright dismissed the plan, with spokesperson Jens Laerke stating on Tuesday that it “undermines core humanitarian values” and could funnel civilians into militarized zones for aid access.

European figures, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, have slammed Israel’s tactics, with the EU stressing that aid “must remain free of political strings.” Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp has pushed for a reassessment of EU-Israel ties under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, citing the blockade as a breach of international law.

In Gaza, conditions are catastrophic. UN partners report food distribution has stopped due to exhausted supplies, with residents scavenging trash for survival. The Palestine Red Crescent Society has shuttered all emergency and primary care facilities in Rafah, and only 15 of 29 clinics across Gaza are partially functional, crippled by fuel and supply shortages.

The UAE’s refusal highlights a wider regional wariness to engage in Gaza’s recovery without a clear route to a two-state resolution. In April, UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan underscored the need for a “credible political framework” to secure lasting peace, reaffirming support for Palestinian self-governance. This mirrors earlier Emirati dismissals of Gaza proposals seen as meddling in Palestinian affairs, including a 2024 post-war governance plan rejected by the Palestinian Authority.

Israeli officials are hopeful that tweaks to the GHF could win UAE backing. “We’re dedicated to reshaping the plan to meet global standards while ensuring aid reaches civilians, not militants,” an Israeli source told Ynet. But with Gaza’s crisis deepening and time dwindling, a workable solution remains elusive.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the UAE’s stance. COGAT directed inquiries to the prime minister’s office.

As the world wrestles with Gaza’s escalating emergency, attention turns to upcoming diplomatic moves, including President Trump’s planned regional visit in mid-May, which Israeli officials hope will drum up support for a revamped aid approach.

Eliyahu Kaminsky is chief diplomatic reporter for Israel Mirror. He has chronicled Middle East developments for over a decade, specializing in Israel-Gulf dynamics and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.