Aftermath of an earthquake in Aleppo
Reuters

UAE has announced emergency humanitarian aid of Dh50 million to help Syrians impacted by the devastating earthquake that struck the country.

As per the order issued by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, the aid will be distributed in the form of ration parcels to the most vulnerable groups in Syria by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives.

"The UAE will stand by the Syrian people and will continue to extend a helping hand to brotherly peoples until they overcome this emergency plight, in an expression of its noble humanitarian values," said Sheikh Mohammed, as per Gulf News.

Besides Syria, the quake-affected areas in Turkey have also received urgent humanitarian supplies from the UAE. President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed reaffirmed the UAE's support for Turkey and Syria and pledged to offer any help possible to lessen the effects of the earthquake. Therefore, rescue teams have been sent to the earthquake-affected areas, and field hospitals are being set up, Khaleej Times Reported.

The President also spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad earlier on Monday, offering his sincere condolences and sympathies.

In recent years, the UAE has made it a priority to integrate humanitarian and development assistance into its foreign policy, and in terms of official development assistance (ODA) as a percentage of its national revenue, it consistently tops international donor lists.

In addition to the UAE, several other Gulf countries have joined the rescue and urgent assistance efforts. it has been stated that relief teams will be sent to the affected countries by Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar.

Meanwhile, 5000 people have already died as a result of the series of earthquakes that have devastated Turkey over the past two days, and frigid conditions are complicating rescue operations. The death toll will undoubtedly increase despite worldwide assistance since rescue efforts are being impeded by cold weather and multiple aftershocks.

Turkey has already sent over 24,400 search and rescue workers to the earthquake area. However, Turkish rescuers have been grumbling that the cold is making their job harder. The city of Gaziantep, affected by the earthquake, had temperatures as low as -5 C.