India today sent medical aid and disaster relief material to Palestinians in Gaza amid a war with Israel that has claimed thousands of lives on both sides.
“The material includes essential life-saving medicines, surgical items, tents, sleeping bags, tarpaulins, sanitary utilities, and water purification tablets among other necessary items,” foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on X- formerly known as Twitter.
?? sends Humanitarian aid to the people of ??!
An IAF C-17 flight carrying nearly 6.5 tonnes of medical aid and 32 tonnes of disaster relief material for the people of Palestine departs for El-Arish airport in Egypt.
The material includes essential life-saving medicines,… pic.twitter.com/28XI6992Ph
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) October 22, 2023
The Israeli military has pounded Gaza with relentless strikes in response to Hamas’ October 7 attack, in which operatives killed at least 1,400 people who were shot, mutilated or burnt to death.
The counterstrikes have killed more than 4,300 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and reduced swathes of the densely-populated territory to smouldering ruins.
Inside Gaza, residents said they were unsure where to go or how to protect their families.
At a peace summit in Egypt, UN chief Antonio Guterres urged a humanitarian ceasefire “to end this godawful nightmare.”
After negotiations, food, water and medicine, but no fuel, crossed from Egypt into Gaza on Saturday.
The crossing closed afterwards, and UN officials said much more was needed. “Gaza was a desperate humanitarian situation before the most recent hostilities,” five UN agencies said in a statement.
“It is now catastrophic. The world must do more,” the statement said.
