Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has deployed a humanitarian aid convoy to Gaza, with tonnes of food and relief parcels to help the victims of the War on Gaza 2021.
Coordinated with the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) and Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), the convoy was deployed from Egypt and entered Gaza through the Rafah Border Crossing. It was received by representatives of PRCS and QRCS, who will start the aid distributions very soon.
Dr. Akram Nassar, head of QRCS's representation office in Gaza, said the aid convoy was part of the organization's humanitarian interventions for the benefit of those affected by the war, which left behind thousands of homeless families and hundreds of homes and residential buildings destroyed.
“At PRCS centers in Gaza, food and relief parcels will be handed over to 12,000 beneficiaries worst hit by the recent war, at a total cost of QR 500,000," he added.
QRCS works to ensure the continuity of services in vital sectors, to improve the living conditions in the blockade. Among these are health care, water and sanitation, livelihoods, and shelter. Since 2008, QRCS has carried out over 80 projects in Gaza, totaling $120 million in value.
QRCS was at the forefront of humanitarian response to the escalation in Al-Quds in May and the subsequent bombing of residential areas and civilian/humanitarian facilities in Gaza, sadly including QRCS's representative office, with 2 killed and 10 injured. It was a gross violation against all international conventions and values, the four Geneva Conventions, and their Additional Protocols.
In the wake of the war, QRCS allocated $1 million from its Emergency Response Fund to launch an emergency relief scheme that involved the deployment of a field hospital; provision of medical equipment, supplies, and ambulances for PRCS's Ambulance and Emergency Service; and upgrade of computer systems/infrastructure at the Al-Makassed Islamic Charitable Hospital in Al-Quds.
Back then, QRCS launched a QR 60 million fundraising campaign for Palestine, with a view to providing humanitarian aid for more than 500,000 people. Food parcels were distributed, medical and psychological consultations were provided, and intensive training was held for 60 doctors and nurses to build their emergency assessment skills.
Also, the Departments of Emergency were supplied with vital signs monitors, and most hospitals of Gaza were provided with medical tents, beds, and consumables.
In September 2021, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by QRCS and ERC, as a framework for bilateral cooperation towards the shared humanitarian goals. Another agreement was later signed to deploy food and nonfood aid convoys for the people of Gaza, under the Palestine relief campaign.