ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani charity has collected Rs1 billion ($3.62 million) in donations to dispatch relief items including medicines and canned food to people living in Gaza while partnering with other international aid groups, as Israel intensifies attacks in the besieged territory.
Israel has rained bombs on the Gaza Strip for what it says is retaliation for a surprise attack launched by Hamas on October 7. According to Israeli authorities, over 1,300 people were killed in the attack and hundreds were taken hostages. Hamas says its raid was in response to the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli forces and increased settler violence.
Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza, refusing to allow Palestinian civilians access to food, medicines and relief items, as it continues to residential neighborhoods and other civilian infrastructure in the area.
Amid the bloody conflict in which over 8,400 Palestinians, including women and children, have died in airstrikes, Al-Khidmat Foundation in Pakistan has been struggling to send relief goods to Gaza.
“We have collected Rs1 billion from Pakistanis within two weeks to provide relief items to people in Gaza,” Abdus Shakoor, the foundation’s vice president, told Arab News on Saturday. “People have been donating generously and our funds were swelling on a daily basis.”
He said the foundation was collaborating with five international organizations, including three Turkish charities, to dispatch cooked food items, medicines and other relief goods to the people in Gaza.
“These organizations have offices, warehouses and workforce there in Gaza, so we have been delivering the aid with their assistance,” he continued, adding that Pakistani organizations could not enter or directly deliver the assistance to Palestinians.
Pakistan has no diplomatic relations with Israel and has for decades called for an independent Palestinian state. The passports provided by the country to its citizens explicitly say they are not valid to travel to Israel.
“Al-Khidmat Foundation has so far delivered the relief items including medicines worth $400,000,” he said.
Shakoor informed his organization had also handed over medicines and canned food worth Rs45 million ($162,527) to the Red Crescent to deliver in Gaza through its network.
“These medicines and food items are stuck in Egypt now as Israel was not letting in the aid,” he added.
Asked about the next phase of its operations, he said the foundation had started registering doctors, surgeons and paramedics to take them to Gaza and treat its residents.
“Over 1,500 doctors and paramedics have got themselves registered with us so far who are willing to go to Gaza to treat the people,” he continued. “We have been constantly in touch with our diplomatic mission in Cairo and will be sending teams of doctors, surgeons and paramedics as soon as we get a green signal for their visas.”
“If this doesn’t work, then we are planning to send Pakistani doctors to Gaza from UK, Australia and other western countries who are in fact dual nationals and don’t need visas to travel to Cairo,” he added. “We are getting a good response from the overseas doctors and dozens of them have already given their consent to go to Gaza.”
Shakoor said that Pakistanis could enter Gaza along with international charities only through one border crossing from Egypt.
“We are also working with some UN approved organizations to get to Gaza under their cover,” he said. “We have been constantly preparing our financial and human resources to get them to Gaza as quickly as possible besides dispatching the relief items.”