Distribution of food meals from the Qatari Red Crescent to those affected by the Israeli war in Gaza (Al Jazeera)
The Qatar Red Crescent, in partnership with the Education Above All Foundation, began implementing a relief project aimed at distributing ready-to-eat meals to about 100,000 people affected by the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
The Red Crescent explained - in a statement - that the project will last for a full month, at a cost of 503,464 US dollars, including 100,000 contributions from the Education Above All Foundation.
The Red Crescent said that ready-made food meals have been distributed - so far - to 61,750 beneficiaries, out of a total of 97,500 beneficiaries of the project, including displaced persons, families and people with special needs, at a rate of 3,250 hot meals daily for 30 days.
The project also aims to distribute 1,100 winter blankets to those affected in shelters for displaced persons, in addition to providing mental health services and psychosocial support, in several areas north and south of the Gaza Strip.
Security risks
The Red Crescent statement explained that the Red Crescent’s work team in the Gaza Strip faced many challenges, including the continuous Israeli bombing that destroyed infrastructure and roads, making it difficult to reach the distribution areas. The work team also faced fuel scarcity and communications interruptions.
The statement pointed to the security risks as the work team targeted eastern Khan Yunis, causing the martyrdom of two cadres working on the ground.
It is noteworthy that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is witnessing a state of continuous collapse, as more than 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced from their homes in Gaza, that is, more than 90% of the Strip’s population. This requires urgent humanitarian action to deliver aid to the displaced, who are in dire need of it.
Due to the worsening shortages of food, fuel, drinking water and medicines over the past few weeks, United Nations agencies have warned that 40% of the Strip’s population is on the verge of catastrophic famine, with escalating risks of disease outbreaks and epidemics, which could sharply increase the number of deaths.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip that has left tens of thousands of civilian victims, most of them children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and massive infrastructure destruction, which led to Tel Aviv appearing before the International Court of Justice on charges of “genocide.” ".
Source: Al Jazeera