In a high-profile interview with Fox News late Thursday night, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed echoed Israel’s position on postwar Gaza, calling for the immediate release of hostages and the replacement of Hamas as the governing authority in the Strip. “First and foremost, the hostages must be released,” bin Zayed said. “We need calm in Gaza—and we need a government that is not Hamas.”
Call for Moderate Leadership in Gaza
The UAE’s top diplomat emphasized that Hamas is part of the problem, not the solution. He called for a moderate leadership capable of restoring stability and governance to the war-torn enclave. Bin Zayed also disclosed that the UAE has financed a significant portion of humanitarian aid to Gaza since the war began.
“Forty-two percent of the aid sent to Gaza since the beginning of the war was funded by the UAE,” he noted. “Without the Abraham Accords, Abu Dhabi wouldn’t have been able to provide this level of support.”
Backing Israel’s Postwar Vision
Bin Zayed’s statement comes as Israel intensifies its military campaign against Hamas. His remarks reflect growing Arab support for a political transition in Gaza—one that echoes Israel’s demand to replace Hamas with a non-extremist, technocratic leadership.
Heavy Bombardment Signals Escalation
Overnight, the Israeli military launched a new wave of airstrikes in northern Gaza, particularly in Beit Lahiya and Jabalia, targeting Hamas infrastructure as part of a broader war cabinet directive to expand operations. “It felt like the first days of the war—intense aerial bombardments, constant shelling, earth-shaking blasts, and low-flying jets skimming rooftops,” a Gaza-based journalist reported.
Footage from Gaza. Watch:
قصف عنيف مستمر على غزة pic.twitter.com/KExX9pumMJ
— غزة الآن – Gaza Now (@nowgnna) May 16, 2025
A senior Israeli security official said the strikes, which began around 2:00 a.m., served as a warning shot to Hamas: “This is your last chance for a deal before the launch of Operation Gideon’s Chariots and a dramatic ground escalation.”
