Hostage release must come first in Gaza roadmap, UAE foreign minister says
Abdullah bin Zayed also underscored his country’s humanitarian commitment, noting that the UAE has delivered over 42% of all international aid to Gaza in the past two years.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFUpdated: MAY 19, 2025 17:54 An installation of pictures of hostages kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, is displayed at a park in Ra'anana, Israel, June 20, 2024. (photo credit: REUTERS/ELOISA LOPEZ)
The release of hostages held by Hamas must be the top priority in any plan for Gaza’s future, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said Thursday in an interview with Fox News, stressing the urgent need to dismantle Hamas’s control of the territory.
“First, getting the hostages out,” Nahyan said. “We need calm in Gaza, and we need an authority that is not Hamas that controls Gaza.” Only after these conditions are met, he said, can long-term reconstruction and stability take place.
His remarks laid out a clear framework: humanitarian support must go hand in hand with political transformation. “If we can provide citizens with ideas, we are always here to do so,” he added.
Citing recent discussions with senior Palestinian Authority officials, Nahyan described a deepening sense of frustration among Palestinian leaders over Hamas’s continued grip on the Gaza Strip. “They are very much fed up with the current situation... They want an end to this war,” he said. As for the PA’s future role in the Strip, he noted that it would depend in part on US and Israeli support, but emphasized that governance must ultimately remain in Palestinian hands.
Nahyan also highlighted the United Arab Emirates’ humanitarian efforts, pointing out that his country had provided over 42% of all international aid delivered to Gaza in the last two years. “If it wasn’t for the Abraham Accords between the UAE and Israel, with the great role played by President Trump, I don’t think we would be as capable of delivering that much aid into Gaza,” he said.
Pictures of hostages of hostages kidnapped in the deadly October 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas from Gaza, are attached to flowers in the garden of the Israeli embassy in London, Britain, March 7, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/TOBY MELVILLE)
UAE has largely contributed to Gaza humanitarian efforts, FM says
The interview coincided with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s announcement of a $1.4 trillion investment in the United States over the next decade, during a visit by US President Donald Trump to Abu Dhabi.
Trump, in turn, pledged to bolster bilateral ties and unveiled more than $200 billion in new agreements, including a $14.5 billion deal for Etihad Airways to purchase 28 Boeing aircraft with GE Aerospace engines. The two countries also agreed to expand cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI).
