A plane carrying 78 cubic metres of health supplies from WHO’s logistics hub in Dubai has landed in Al-Arish airport in Egypt.
The supplies will be delivered to Gaza to meet critical health needs as soon as humanitarian access through the Rafah crossing is established, WHO said in a statement.
Every hour these supplies remain on the Egyptian side of the border, more girls and boys, women, and men, especially those vulnerable or disabled, will die while supplies that can save them are less than 20 kilometers (12 miles) away, WHO pointed out.
The supplies include enough trauma medicines and health supplies to treat 1200 wounded patients and 1500 patients suffering from heart diseases, hypertension, diabetes, and respiratory problems, and basic essential health supplies to serve the needs of 300,000 people, including pregnant women.
They also include trauma pouches with enough medicines and supplies to treat 235 wounded people. With hospitals in Gaza either nonfunctional or overwhelmed, and movement restricted due to fighting, these will enable injured people to be stabilized and receive immediate, lifesaving care anywhere it is needed.
WHO will work with the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent Societies to ensure transportation and delivery of the supplies through Egypt and into Gaza, the organization affirmed.
While the Egyptian side of the crossing is accessible, the Israeli side remains closed.
The critically injured, the sick, and the vulnerable cannot wait. Too many lives have already been lost, the WHO noted
Source: Jordan News Agency
