First Israeli tourist flight lands at Dubai International Airport; Emirati medical convoy arrives in Daramsuq

TEL AVIV / DUBAI — A Fly Dubai flight landed at Dubai International Airport carrying Israeli tourist delegation coming from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv in the first such flight following the signing of a normalization agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Fly Dubai plans to start regular flights to Tel Aviv later this month after Israel and the UAE, which had maintained secret contacts for years, normalized their diplomatic relationship.

In related news, an Emirati medical aid convoy arrived in the Syrian capital of Daramsuq (Damascus) in efforts to help curb the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The convoy included 22 tons of medicines and medical materials which were provided by the Emirates Red Crescent Authority in coordination with the Syrian government-affiliated Red Crescent Society in Daramsuq.

This is the fourth such shipment of Emirati medical aid to Syria. However, much of the aid never makes its way to the Syrian people and is seized by the regime and used for its own purposes.