An appeal by Edinburgh Direct Aid International
On October 7th 2023 Hamas launched an attack in Israel, killing abut 1,200 people including children and elderly people and took 253 hostage,
Israel's retaliation has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, many of them children, destroyed 378 schools and all 12 universities. Only 4 of Gaza's 22 health facilities remain operational. Food supplies are rarely able to enter. Water, electricity and other infrastructure have been all but demolished. Over a million are homeless. Gaza is facing one of the worst instances of man-made deprivation of food, water, and medical care in a century.
EDA and Gaza
In 2009 EDA voluneers personally delivered a vanload of medical aid. Since then EDA has worked with the Palestine Medical Relief Society (PMRS) which runs several excellent clinics, and the Al Jazeera Club for disabled athletes: all now surely destroyed.
Food aid
EDA continues to work on delivering medical aid; but we are now also planning a food delivery jointly with a UK charity with whom we have had a long association, "Refugee Biryani & Bananas" (!). RBB have miraculously succeeded in getting a truck from Cairo into Gaza. Through contacts madehelpingr refugees on the Greek Islands they have been able to establish teams in both Gaza and Egypt.
Helped by a modest contribution of EDA funds, the RBB team bought 8 pallets of food, 2 of sanitary towels,10 of water and loaded up a hired truck in Cairo. Working under the flag of the Egyptian Red Crescent Society, their drivers were able to negotiate their way through 6 checkpoints in Sinai to reach Rafah at the end of February -- 3 weeks to make a 120km journey!
The truck was allowed into Gaza but not the crew; a Palestinian driver took over and the load was formally delivered to to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, who handed it over to RBB's team in Gaza. They successfully distributed it all.
Inspired by their success we have agreed with RBB to jointly fund another truck, 90% food this time. Food is expensive; all costs are high. We estimate the full cost of an all-food truck to be £37,000. But with the help of many generous donors, like yourself, we hope to be able to contribute 50% of that.
Please give what you can. Small or large it will make a difference.
For further information, please go to: www.edinburghdirectaid.org. Or call 0131 552 1545
Edinburgh Direct AId International is a charity registered in Scotland, no. SC050964
