The UAE has said it has launched a major relief operation in the Gaza Strip’s bombed out second city of Khan Younis, where it plans to rehabilitate a key hospital, AFP reports.

In a statement carried by the official WAM news agency, the UAE said it was the first foreign government to deliver aid to the city whose residents have begun to return after Israeli troops pulled back in early April ending months of heavy fighting.

“A team of volunteers headed to Khan Younis on a wide-scale field relief tour, during which they provided the necessary support to Palestinian families with the support of the UAE,” WAM said.

“The United Arab Emirates was the first country to reach the city of Khan Younis … to deliver thousands of food parcels, basic supplies, food, and bread,” it added.

“The UAE is seeking to rehabilitate the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis city in the coming period, so that it can return to work,” WAM said.

It said that the hospital’s “departments, equipment, and medical staff stopped working” due to the fighting.