Ashraf AboArafe
The protracted humanitarian situation of Palestinians in and around the Gaza Strip has sharply deteriorated with the recent escalation of violence along with the complete siege on Gaza, leading to catastrophic consequences for the 2.2 million population of Gaza.
In order to support the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid items, the EU has launched a humanitarian air bridge operation to Egypt to preposition humanitarian stock for its rapid deployment once access to Gaza will be available.
The first flight landed in Al-Arish airport on Monday 16 October while the second flight arrived today. Both flights carried a total of 56 tonnes of humanitarian cargo provided by UNICEF including medicines, shelter and hygiene kits. The aid items are being delivered to the Egyptian Red Crescent for distribution on the ground.
This operation, conducted under the European Humanitarian Response Capacity, will facilitate the delivery of assistance to people in need in Gaza. Additional emergency items from the EU emergency stockpiles are available and ready to be deployed to our humanitarian partners.
EU humanitarian aid is exclusively channelled through registered humanitarian organisations, including UN agencies, international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and international organisations such as the Red Cross/Crescent family.
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Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, said: “The EU stands by people in need of lifesaving assistance, wherever they are, no matter the circumstances. With this humanitarian air bridge operation to Egypt, we aim to support our humanitarian partners on the ground in providing life-saving support to those who need it the most in the Gaza Strip. Safe and rapid humanitarian access to Gaza remains crucial to ensure critically needed aid reaches people caught in this crisis. I thank Egypt for its support and cooperation efforts which are key for the EU and its partners to fulfil our humanitarian mandate.”
EU Ambassador Christian Berger said: “With this humanitarian air lift the EU is supporting the delivery of urgently needed supplies by EU’s humanitarian partners in Gaza. The EU will continue to closely cooperate with Egypt and our humanitarian partners in the country to ensure that the aid enters Gaza and is delivered to the most vulnerable people in this terrible crisis.”
