Gaza Crisis: IRC Funds Urgent Supplies for Overwhelmed Hospitals

January 8, 2009 - The International Rescue Committee is working with partners to deliver urgently needed supplies to hospitals and other centers providing humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.

With IRC funds, the Jordan River Foundation will be procuring desperately needed drugs, medical equipment and other vital items that are in short supply in Gaza as the humanitarian crisis worsens.

Meanwhile, the IRC is dispatching emergency aid specialists to the Palestinian Territories this week with a view toward expanding relief activities in the area.

The majority of the 1.5 million Palestinians who live in Gaza are trapped by the violence between Israel and Hamas that erupted on December 27.

The IRC is calling on all parties in the Gaza crisis to ensure that civilians have full and immediate access to medical care and other humanitarian assistance as food supplies dwindle and access to clean water and medical care becomes more difficult by the day.

The IRC provides humanitarian aid for victims of violent conflict in 42 countries around the world.  In the Middle East, IRC programs focus on Iraqi refugees and needy local populations in Jordan, Syria and Iraq.

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Media Contact

Melissa Winkler, melissa.winkler@theIRC.org, +1 212 551 0972 or +1 646 734 0305