NEW DELHI (AFP) – India on Sunday flew 38.5 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Egypt’s Sinai region for Palestinian civilians from the embattled Gaza Strip, the foreign ministry said.
An Indian air force Boeing C-17 transport plane “carrying nearly 6.5 tonnes of medical aid and 32 tonnes of disaster relief material for the people of Palestine” departed for Egypt’s El Arish airport, foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said.
“The material includes essential life-saving medicines, surgical items, tents, sleeping bags, tarpaulins, sanitary utilities, water purification tablets among other necessary items”, Bagchi posted on social media.
War broke out two weeks ago between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist militant movement which rules the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, home to 2.4 million people.
Israel’s military has pounded Gaza with relentless strikes in response to Hamas’ October 7 attack, in which militants killed at least 1,400 people, according to Israeli officials.
The bombing campaign has killed more than 4,300 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and reduced swathes of the densely populated territory to smouldering ruins.
India condemned Hamas for the “terrorist attack”, but it has also reiterated its longstanding position for an independent Palestinian state.
Israel has repeatedly urged the 1.1 million people in the north of Gaza to move south ahead of any ground operation.
After negotiations and US pressure, food, water and medicine, but no fuel, crossed from Egypt into Gaza on Saturday.
The Hamas government has criticised the lack of aid arriving, despite the arrival of 20 trucks in the Palestinian territory on Saturday. It said there were now 1.4 million displaced people in the enclave.
