Under King's directives, 6 trucks of medical aid dispatched to occupied Palestine

AMMAN — Following His Majesty King Abdullah's directives, the government on Tuesday dispatched six trucks of medical supplies to occupied West Bank through the King Hussein Bridge.

The Cabinet on Sunday allocated 45,000 tonnes of wheat and other cereals, and seven trucks of medical supplies as part of the ongoing aid to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Under His Majesty's directives, JD3 million has been channeled into the Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA in addition to dispatching aid convoys to Egypt's Al Arish Airport via Royal Jordanian Air Force aircrafts to be sent into the Gaza Strip. 

The six-truck convoy was seen off by Health Minister Firas Hawari and Minister of Government Communications Muhannad Mubaidin.

Hawari said in a press conference that the medical supplies were in implementation of the Royal directives to support Palestinians during the current humanitarian crisis.

He added that the aid convey was prepared in cooperation with private sector partners and pharmaceutical warehouses, including Hikma Pharmaceuticals Company, which donated JD1.5 million worth of medical aid.

The minister referred to a phone call with his Palestinian counterpart during which they identified the necessary medical supplies required for the West Bank and Gaza.

Mubaidin said that sending this medical assistance followed Royal directives to support the Palestinian Health Ministry that is grappling with shortages in medicines and other medical supplies as a result of actions by the Israeli occupation.

He added that the Kingdom has dispatched two airplanes to Al Arish Airport to be delivered to Gaza through the Rafah crossing. 

"Jordan is proud to be the first country to send assistance to the West Bank."

He also said that Jordanian military field hospital in Gaza "is working round the clock" to provide medical services to Palestinians in Gaza.

Col. Rafat Maaytah, director of the King Hussein Bridge, said that the volume of goods crossing through the crossing was reduced to some 50 per cent of their normal average after the start of the war against Gaza.