A senior official of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced here Tuesday a nation-wide relief campaign to raise cash and material donations to help Palestinians in the Gaza Strip under Israeli military strikes, Emirates News Agency reported.

"The drive will be launched on all local TV and radio stations and newspapers in support of our brothers in the Gaza Strip," said the UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is also chairman of the country's Red Crescent Authority (RCA).

The campaign is in line with directives of the UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other top officials.

Donations for Gaza can be made through a number of charity groups, including RCA, the Zayed Charitable Foundation, the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Charity Foundation, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation and Dubai Cares, Sheikh Hamdan said.

He urged philanthropists to contribute their donations in expression of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

RCA will supervise the campaign and then will take charge of channelling the aid to Gaza as soon as possible in coordination with international humanitarian organizations.

Israel launched airstrikes in Gaza on December 27 and a ground operation on January 3, in which more than 600 Palestinians have been killed so far and over 2,700 others injured.

(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2009)