Maldives Red Crescent urges govt to lobby for Gaza ceasefire
If the back-up generators stop, 1,000 people on life support could die, Maldivian Red Crescent quotes news through Palestinian Red Crescent.
By
Aishath Fareeha Abdulla
The Maldivian Red Crescent on Thursday urged the government to do everything possible to lobby for a ceasefire to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been displaced by Israeli attacks on Gaza since the 7th of this month. The people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, the Palestinian Red Crescent said on Thursday.
The Palestinian Red Crescent is currently the busiest, closest and fastest working organisation to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza, according to the Maldivian counterpart’s Secretary General Fatimath Himya at a press conference on Thursday.
Himya called for a ceasefire to provide humanitarian aid.
“On behalf of the Maldivian Red Crescent, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross, we are constantly calling on all parties for a ceasefire,” she said.
"The situation in Gaza is very fragile," she said, adding that humanitarian aid should be provided as soon as possible.
“In this endeavour, I would also like to urge the Maldivian government to do everything possible to achieve this."
Himya quoted the Palestinian Red Crescent as saying:
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Attacks on medical ambulances, paramedics, hospitals and nearby hospitals make it difficult to deliver aid
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The fuel used to supply electricity to the hospitals has run out and backup generators are now being used. They are also used non-stop and some have been damaged
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If the generators stop, 1,000 people on life support could die
The fund, which was launched by the Maldivian Red Crescent on the 10th of this month, has raised MVR 1.6 million so far. The opportunity to donate to Palestine through the fund will run until the 12th of next month.
Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid has said that the government and the people of Maldives are ready to support the Palestinian people in their efforts to establish a separate state and ensure their rights.
Maldives has also called for an emergency meeting of the UN General Assembly to urge Israel to end its terrorist attacks on innocent Palestinian civilians.
