The fourth Saudi relief aircraft, run and overseen by the King Salman Relief Centre, landed at the Polish Rzeszow Airport last Thursday, close to the Ukrainian border, in preparation for crossing over into Ukraine.
Notably, these relief aircraft are part of Saudi Arabia’s aid program for the people of Ukraine. On Thursday morning, the fourth and fifth relief aircraft took off from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, carrying over 140 tons of relief supplies, including electric generators, appliances, and bottles of infant formula.
For his part, the Ukrainian ambassador to Saudi Arabia thanked the government and people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on behalf of the people of Ukraine and conveyed his nation’s sincere gratitude to the Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and all Saudi people.
The ambassador of Ukraine to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia further stated that the humanitarian aid package sent by the King Salman Center is proof of the two nations’ strong bilateral ties and ongoing partnership, as well as Saudi Arabia’s unwavering support for the Ukrainian people in accordance with international law.
The Saudi government responded to his remarks by stating that its actions were motivated by its well-known historical duty to support those in need and those impacted by conflicts and crises all over the world. Additionally, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had previously given $10 million in emergency medical and housing aid to Ukrainian refugees in nearby nations, particularly those in Poland, in coordination with the Polish government and United Nations organisations.
What about Gaza?
Thousands of Palestinians were killed and their homes were destroyed during the ongoing Israeli aggression, but at a time when Saudi Arabia prides itself on being pure, the Saudi government decided to forbid any relief efforts for Gaza and to stop civil society organisations from working on that. Even the act of praying for Gazans was outlawed by Saudi Arabia, which also deported and arrested some people for engaging in such activity.
In addition, the Saudi regime wants to avoid taking on any moral or humanitarian obligations towards Gaza in order to proceed with signing normalization agreements with the Israeli occupation.
