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December 11th , 2023 ― Doha, Qatar: With the successive aid aircraft deployed by Qatar for the relief of Gaza, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has intensified its humanitarian efforts to mobilize support and deliver emergency aid to the Palestinian people, through its headquarters in Doha and representation office in Gaza.
QRCS has two relief delegations in Al-Arish and Cairo, Egypt, to receive, prepare, and deploy aid shipments from Al-Arish International Airport to Rafah Border Crossing, where aid trucks would be entered into Gaza, in coordination with the Egyptian Red Crescent and Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS).
On Sunday 10 December 2023, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced that additional three relief aircraft were deployed to Al-Arish, carrying a total of 116 tons of humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza, including food and medical items provided by Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), QRCS, and Qatar Charity (QC).
This sends the number of Qatari aid aircraft deployed until 10 December 2023 to 42, with a total of 1,362 tons of diverse aid, such as food and nonfood items, medicines and medical supplies, and a field hospital, jointly donated by QFFD, QRCS, and QC.
In addition, there were 12 ambulance vehicles, eight donated by Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), and four by QRCS.
Out of the 42 aircraft deployed through the Qatari airlift, QRCS contributed aid shipments of 36 aircraft, as well as a specialist relief team to accompany, receive, store, and transport the aid shipments from Al-Arish International Airport to Rafah Border Crossing, in cooperation with the Egyptian Red Crescent.
During her recent visit to Al-Arish, HE Lolwah bint Rashid Al-Khater, Minister of State for International Cooperation at MOFA, met QRCS’s relief delegation. She was introduced to the process of receiving, unloading, sorting, packing, and preparing the Qatari aid shipments to be trucked to Rafah Border Crossing.
QRCS had stepped up phase 1 of the emergency relief intervention, allocating $3.5 million from its Disaster Response Fund to help more than 255,000 beneficiaries at shelter centers in Gaza.
Since the beginning of war on Gaza, QRCS has implemented 10 projects in multiple sectors, some of which were funded by QFFD:
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Food: A total of 306 tons of food aid were delivered, including flour (170 tons), rice (25 tons), and various food items (111 tons).
QRCS’s field personnel in Gaza prepared and distributed a total of 46,000 fresh meals and 7,750 food parcels. -
Health: A total of 51 tons of medicines and medical supplies were delivered, as well as four ambulance vehicles. A mobile medical clinic was deployed at shelters of internally displaced people (IDPs) in southern Gaza, supported by doctors from Dar Al-Salam Hospital.
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Shelter: More than 17,000 blankets, 4,500 pieces of kids winter wear, and 25 tons of firewood were delivered.
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Water and sanitation: Clean drinking water was provided for 21,000 families at IDP shelters in northern and southern Gaza, with 100 tankers distributing a total of 600,000 liters of water, in addition to 396,000 bottles of water.
QRCS’s personnel are currently entering the QFFD-funded field hospital into Gaza. It comprises 44 inpatient beds, six emergency beds, a pharmacy, and a laboratory. Planned to be deployed in the southern part of Gaza to serve as many IDPs as possible, the field hospital will be operated by PRCS, through doctors from its Al-Amal Hospital.
Despite all the contributions by the State of Qatar and many other countries, and the multilateral diplomatic and political efforts to reach a truce, the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza persists, and needs are still much greater than the available resources.
Every individual and company is invited to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, by donating to the #ForPalestine projects announced on QRCS’s website (www.qrcs.qa/pal).
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About Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS)
Established in 1978, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) is Qatar’s first humanitarian and volunteering organization that aims to assist and empower vulnerable individuals and communities without partiality or discrimination.
QRCS is a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which consists of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and 192 National Societies. It is also a member of several GCC, Arab, and Islamic organizations, such as the Islamic Committee of International Crescent (ICIC) and the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization (ARCO). In this legally recognized capacity, QRCS has access to disaster and conflict zones, thus serving as an auxiliary to the State of Qatar in its humanitarian and social efforts — a role that distinguishes it from other local charities and NGOs.
Both locally and internationally, QRCS has relief and development operations in numerous countries throughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Central and South America. Its humanitarian mandates include disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and risk reduction. To mitigate the impact of disasters and improve the livelihoods of affected populations, QRCS provides medical services, food, water, shelter, and other needs of local communities. It is also active at the humanitarian diplomacy and advocacy front.
With the help of a vast network of trained, committed staff and volunteers, QRCS aspires to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity, inspired by the seven Fundamental Principles of humanitarian action: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality