IV fluids, wound care items, and more arrive in Gaza via Kerem Shalom crossing, bringing total to 70 tons, $26 million in medical aid since October.
First published May 31, 2024 by Direct Relief
Direct Relief earlier this week completed its latest delivery of critically needed medicine and medical supplies into Gaza and remains committed to providing additional support to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis affecting civilians.
The latest 4.5-ton shipment of requested medical aid, including IV fluids, wound care products, personal protective equipment, anti-infective agents, and thermometers, arrived in Gaza on May 26 through the Kerem Shalom crossing between northern Gaza and southern Israel.
Anera, a key regional partner of Direct Relief, received the supplies, some of which are used by its own mobile medical unit that provides primary care services directly and the remainder being distributed to healthcare professionals in Gaza caring for people in dire need.
This week’s delivery follows a large Direct Relief shipment of prenatal vitamins, breast pumps for nursing, and personal care items such as feminine hygiene products for around 50,000 people in Gaza displaced from their homes. The personal care items were kitted at Direct Relief’s Santa Barbara headquarters by local volunteers over several days.
These supplies, coupled with financial assistance from Direct Relief, have supported a series of Anera-operated mobile clinics throughout Gaza that provide comprehensive services—including primary, maternal, pediatric, and mental health care—to as many as 1,000 people per day in Deir al-Balah and Rafah.
Over the past 8 months, Direct Relief has delivered into Gaza approximately 70 tons of medical aid, valued at more than $26 million (wholesale), including cancer treatment therapies, diabetes medications and supplies, cardiac medications, syringes, sutures and wound care items, water purification tablets, oral rehydration salts, and more.
Direct Relief, an apolitical, non-sectarian, and nongovernmental humanitarian aid organization, is committed to responding to ongoing health needs and requests for support across the region.
Additional medical essentials have been delivered to and being staged in Jordan, with more en route. Deliveries from Jordan into Gaza will be made as the shifting security and logistics channels permit.
All Direct Relief shipments to Gaza and elsewhere in the region are the result of extensive coordination with various national governments, international agencies, and on-the-ground organizations, and will continue to be delivered in accordance with U.S. sanctions laws and necessary approvals from Israeli, Egyptian, Jordanian, and other relevant authorities.