UAE Floating Hospital sustains medical aid for Gaza

May 18, 2026 / 6:25 PM

Sharjah24-WAM: The UAE Floating Hospital docked in Al Arish, Egypt, is still operating, and the numbers tell their story. Since operations began, the hospital has carried out more than 6,000 surgeries and delivered over 29,000 medical services to Palestinian patients arriving from Gaza, covering everything from surgical procedures and physiotherapy to dialysis sessions and specialist care across multiple fields. All of these activities are taking place under Operation Chivalrous Knight 3.

Beyond those numbers lies a team that never stops. An Emirati medical and administrative crew runs the hospital day and night, working alongside an Indonesian medical team to ensure no case goes unattended. Together, they assess patients from the moment they arrive, map out treatment plans, and follow each case through to recovery — all to the highest medical standards, regardless of the hour.

A hospital built for crisis

This facility is not a makeshift setup. The floating hospital, a fully equipped medical facility, is currently moored at a port. It has operating rooms, outpatient clinics, radiology and laboratory services, a pharmacy, physiotherapy units, and a dialysis department. For patients leaving Gaza with complex, often urgent needs, that breadth of capability is not a luxury — it is a lifeline.

Operation Chivalrous Knight 3

The hospital is one of the centrepieces of Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, launched by the UAE under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The operation delivers relief, food, and medical aid to Palestinians in Gaza — a reflection of the UAE's long-held belief that when people are suffering, the right response is to show up and help.