Qatar quickly set up an air bridge to transport aid, including field hospitals and medical supplies, to Lebanon after the explosion that struck Beirut port, causing many casualties and material losses, and in parallel there are numerous popular initiatives to express solidarity with the Lebanese people in their ordeal.
A popular initiative was launched by charitable and humanitarian organizations to support the Lebanese people by receiving financial and in-kind assistance, in an attempt to meet part of their great needs, especially in the relief and medical aspect.
It is counted on a combination of official and popular initiatives to restore the massive destruction caused by the explosion, and to provide assistance to the families of the victims, sympathy and support to them, especially those who have lost their shelter and breadwinners.
The Ambassador of the Lebanese Republic in Doha, Farah Berri, praised the love and solidarity expressed by senior Qatari officials and the general Qatari people, and for the great impact it had in reducing the tragedy that befell Lebanon.
She told Al-Jazeera Net that "Lebanon suffered a cruel and painful catastrophe as a result of the explosion, which made Lebanon a devastated country, and Qatar, with its white hands, was proactive by extending a hand of aid and assistance to Lebanon's relief in this difficult circumstance."
Yesterday, Qatar gave Lebanese citizens of Qatari residency holders who are currently in the sisterly Republic of Lebanon and wanting to return to the country, priority in approving the exceptional entry, in accordance with the procedures currently followed for the travel policy and return to the State of Qatar within the gradual lifting of restrictions imposed by the Corona pandemic, as it was decided to allow citizens Lebanese holders of Qatari residency to bring their first-degree relatives.
Also yesterday, the walls of a number of landmarks and buildings in Doha were covered in lighting colors that embody the Lebanese flag in solidarity with Beirut, and on top of those landmarks whose walls were decorated with the Lebanese flag were the Sheraton Hotel, the Torch Tower, and the Qatar National Museum.
Dozens of Qatari and Lebanese activists circulated pictures of Doha's landmarks adorned with the Lebanese flag, stressing their solidarity with the Lebanese people and their standing by them.
Popular solidarity
In parallel with these efforts, some Lebanese restaurants announced the allocation of revenues for a whole day to support the needs of the afflicted in Lebanon, and called on all citizens and residents to join this initiative and express their support for the Lebanese people.
The owner of "Adara Group" restaurants, Salah Alyan, is leading one of these solidarity initiatives that will involve the chain of restaurants that he owns in all its branches in all regions of Qatar next Saturday, as he hopes that the initiative will succeed in raising large sums for the benefit of the affected people in the capital, Beirut.
In a statement to Al-Jazeera Net, Alayyan said that this initiative will allocate all income 100% in favor of Lebanon, and will be handed over to three parties, namely the Qatar Red Crescent and the Lebanese Red Cross, and then through direct support for a number of families, especially those who lost their breadwinners or whose homes were destroyed by the explosion.
The most prominent Qatari and Lebanese tweeters residing in Qatar and a number of social media activists interacted, expressing their support for this initiative by coordinating large-scale promotional campaigns across the platforms, and at the same time they called for it to be more generous and serve urgent humanitarian goals.
It is expected that other initiatives will be launched in the coming weeks that support humanitarian efforts towards Lebanon, including some companies operating in Qatar and well-known restaurants, and preparations and mobilization are being made for their success through social media.
Citizens expressed their sympathy with Lebanon in this tragic incident, calling on the Arab countries and their leaders to provide the necessary assistance to the Lebanese in this harsh ordeal to which they are exposed, which has doubled its previous and long suffering.
Qatari Aid
Since the announcement of linking Doha and Beirut airports with an air bridge to transport urgent aid to Lebanon, preparations in the two countries have not subsided to accelerate the start of providing aid and work in the field hospitals to relieve pressure on the Lebanese health system, which is exhausted by the Corona epidemic.
The airlift also includes, from the Qatari aid, respirators, equipment and necessary medical supplies, in addition to a full-fledged search and rescue team with high efficiency and extensive experience in the field of rescue and search for missing persons.
The journalist and political analyst Jaber Al-Harami believes that the Qatari aid that has already arrived in Lebanon is a sincere expression of Qatar's continuous support for this country in various situations, whether political or relief, and it stems from Qatar's principled stances towards all peoples in the world.
Al-Harami told Al-Jazeera Net that Qatar has always been by Lebanon's side, and has continuously sought to help it find solutions to its various intractable crises, and in this context he recalled the Doha Agreement in 2008 that ended the political impasse in the country, as well as Doha's efforts to support post-war reconstruction and development projects. July 2006.
Day after day, the tremendous losses left by the explosion in Beirut's port are revealed, and the cost of restoring vital installations that were directly damaged rises, to the point that it has become like the reconstruction of the capital, Beirut.