Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)’s first convoy of aid trucks carrying essential medicines and supplies has now entered Gaza via the southern Rafah crossing. This urgently needed aid, including medicines and disposables for operating theatres and the treatment of traumatic injuries, will be delivered to four hospitals in southern and central Gaza: Nasser Hospital and European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younis, Shuhada al Aqsa Hospital in the Middle Area, and Abu Yousef Al Najjar Hospital in Rafah.
Another MAP convoy of aid trucks is currently waiting at the Rafah crossing and a third convoy will soon be departing the city of Al Arish in Egypt. Four trucks carrying food supplies will also be arriving in the city of Ismailia in the next two days, before their onward journey to Gaza.
With hospitals rapidly running out of even basic materials needed to treat the more than 30,000 people injured in Israel’s bombardment, MAP is working in Egypt to procure and deliver further medicines, disposables and equipment to Gaza, including screws and plates used in orthopaedic surgery, antibiotics, ultrasound gels, intravenous paracetamol, and saline bags. These items are all critical to addressing health needs such as treating infections, facilitating diagnostics, managing pain, and providing essential hydration.
Fikr Shalltoot, MAP’s Gaza Director who is currently leading our operations in Egypt said: “We are pleased that these crucial medical supplies have been able to enter Gaza. More than two thirds of hospitals are no longer functioning and healthcare workers are operating under unimaginable conditions, so this aid is vital for Gaza’s remaining hospitals to save lives.”
“This convoy will be the first of many, as we mobilise the largest emergency relief effort in MAP’s 40-year history. With the health system almost completely collapsed, and 1.8 million people displaced from their homes, our team of humanitarian heroes in Gaza will continue to work tirelessly to support their communities and help save lives.”
“Today, our support is about keeping people alive in Gaza, and we fear that an imminent resumption of Israel’s bombardment and worsening siege will mean more devastation, thousands more injuries and illnesses, and worsening pressure on hospitals in the coming days and weeks. We hope that there will be a permanent ceasefire soon, so that we can play our part in supporting Gaza on its long road to recovery.”
MAP is among the first NGOs to get humanitarian aid into Gaza via Rafah, and this is just the latest stage in our emergency response. At the start of the crisis, our team were one of the first to respond by distributing over $570,000 worth of pre-positioned medical supplies from our warehouses to hospitals and shelters.
In addition, we’ve procured and delivered more than $1.5 million in essential humanitarian supplies from the local market, including medicines, disposables, and essential shelter items like mattresses, blankets, and hygiene kits. We are also working with local partners to provide hot meals to hundreds of displaced families. As well as continuing to deliver aid supplies via Egypt, we are preparing to send our first medical missions to Gaza as soon as access is granted to us.