New Delhi, Oct 23: India on Sunday sent humanitarian aid to Palestine in the Gaza Strip amid the war between Israel and Hamas.
“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 departed for El-Arish airport in Egypt,” MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
The items will be sent to Palestine via the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza.
“The material includes essential life-saving medicines, surgical items, tents, sleeping bags, tarpaulins, sanitary utilities, and water purification tablets among other necessary items,” Bagchi said.
The war has continued to intensify between Israel and Hamas, killing thousands of civilians.
The Israeli military today claimed that it killed “terror operatives from Hamas and Islamic Jihad in an air strike on a mosque in the West Bank’s Jenin.
According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry around 4,300 people, mostly civilians, have been killed after Israel launched heavy bombardment in the Gaza Strip.
India’s aid to Palestine comes three days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
During their conversation, Modi said that India would continue sending humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians. He also conveyed his condolences on the loss of civilian lives in the Gaza Strip due to the bombing at a hospital.
“Shared our deep concern at the terrorism, violence, and deteriorating security situation in the region. Reiterated India’s long-standing principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue,” the PM said in a Social media post.