Donation drive to rebuild Gaza collects JD265,000 on first day

AMMAN — A month-long campaign to support the rebuilding of Gaza collected JD265,000 in cash donations on its first day on Friday, according to the Jordan Engineers Association (JEA), which organised the initiative.

The donation drive, held in cooperation with Ro’ya Satellite Channel, also received in-kind donations during its first day, JEA Secretary General Nasser Hneidi said in a JEA statement. 

JEA President Abdullah Obeidat called on Jordanians to donate to the campaign, for which the syndicate has opened an operations room to receive donations through Ro’ya and at the association’s headquarters in Shmeisani.

He noted that the JEA has actively contributed to the reconstruction and renovation of houses in the strip destroyed by Israel in previous attacks or by floods that affected the enclave.

“The association was the first institution to access the strip after the 2009 aggression,” Obeidat said.

Moreover, the JEA, through its higher committee for the reconstruction of Gaza, which includes the contractors and housing investors associations, is building a paediatrics hospital in the strip, to be completed soon.

People can donate JD1 to the campaign by sending an empty SMS to 96003 via Zain or to 98303 via Orange, the statement said.

Also on Friday, demonstrations were organised after noon prayers across the Kingdom to protest against the Israeli war on Gaza, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

One of the protests took place near Al Husseini Mosque in downtown Amman, where participants called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities and end the Israeli aggression. 

In Irbid, 80km north of the capital, a demonstration was held near Al Hashemi Mosque, where protesters condemned the world’s silence over Israel’s use of internationally banned weapons to kill children, women and the elderly. They also decried Israeli attacks on humanitarian and medical institutions, according to Petra. 

Another gathering was organised in Tafileh, 180km southwest of Amman, where participants called on Arabs and Muslims to stand with the Gazans.