Doha, 2 January 2024(TDI): In a significant gesture of solidarity, Qatar sent out three aircraft to assist in delivering an estimated 135 tons of assistance, comprising shelter supplies given by the Qatar Fund for Development, to Al Arish in Egypt, from where it will await entry into the occupied Gaza Strip.
Furthermore, Monday’s delivery raised the overall number of Qatar’s aid-carrying aircraft to 57, carrying 1,777 tons of humanitarian goods.
The most recent reports from Palestine’s health ministry reveal that since the atrocity in Gaza began on October 7, approximately 21,800 Palestinians have reportedly been killed by Israeli occupying forces.
Despite this, Israel’s vicious bombings on Sunday led even more civilians to flee to the Rafah border as Israeli tanks continued to invade the territory.
Previously, trucks utilized the Rafah crossing to deliver aid to Gaza from Egypt, but this caused major delays due to handling large-scale deliveries. The trucks needed to go 40 kilometers along Egypt’s border with Israel.
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On top of that, Israel’s shelling of Gaza has resulted in the territory being in rubble. About 60% of its buildings are heavily collapsed or damaged, and more than 80% of Gaza’s population.
Approximately 1.9 million people are evacuated, facing serious shortages of food, clear water, and medicines.
In addition, at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva on December 13th, Qatar committed $50 million toward the first humanitarian aid package for Gaza.
Reportedly, on December 18th, Sheikh Tamim gave QAR 100 million to the local ‘Palestine Duty’ charity campaign, bringing the total amount of donations for Gaza to QAR 200,048,750 (roughly $55 million).
In conclusion, the assistance mentioned above demonstrates Qatar’s strong backing for the Palestinian people, demonstrating its unwavering cooperation with them during their catastrophic humanitarian crisis.