(Communicated by the Ministry of Defense - Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories)
The Kerem Shalom crossing, on the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, opened its gates today (Tuesday) for the third consecutive day as defense officials at the Coordination and Liaison Administration (CLA) are working together with the international organizations in the Gaza Strip as well as various governments in order to assess the humanitarian needs, requirements and make the necessary response. Since the beginning of the operation, and on a daily basis, the international community has been able to increase the amount of goods supplied to Gaza. A total of 179 shipments of humanitarian supplies including basic food commodities, medication, medical supplies, donations of governments, blood units and 10 ambulances have been conveyed to the Gaza Strip.
Beyond the immediate response, various organizations and governments have requested to send humanitarian aid to the region. Israel is making the relevant preparations in order to receive and coordinate the shipping of the goods from the various terminals (Ben Gurion airport and Allenby Bridge) to the Gaza strip.
Following are details regarding the aid that has been transferred to Gaza since the beginning of Operation "Cast Lead":
28 December - 23 trucks with basic food commodities, medications and medical supplies.
29 December - 63 trucks and 5 ambulances transferred from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in Ramallah at the request of the ICRC, and 1000 blood units donated by the Gov. of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
30 December - 93 trucks and five ambulances donated by the Government of Turkey.