Qatar provides emergency food, medical relief for Syria's East Ghouta amid regime 'crimes against humanity'

Qatar provides emergency food, medical relief for Syria's East Ghouta amid regime 'crimes against humanity'

Qatar has sent emergency humanitarian aid to Syria's rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta amid one of the most ferocious assaults of the country's civil war.
2 min read
25 February, 2018
New regime air strikes and heavy clashes shook Eastern Ghouta on Sunday [Getty]

Qatar has sent emergency humanitarian aid to Syria's rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta amid one of the most ferocious assaults of the country's civil war.

The Qatar Fund for Development [QFFD] provided over 2 million Qatari riyals ($540,000) worth of life-saving food aid for people in the besieged area, Qatari daily al-Arab  reported on Sunday.

The fund said in a statement on Friday that it was coordinating with local partners on the ground to secure and distribute emergency relief and medical supplies for Eastern Ghouta.

"QFFD is going to provide 34,500 food meals over 17 days, or 2,000 meals per day, at shelters and distribution locations designated by municipalities and community representatives," it said.

"Also, six hospitals will receive surgical and medical consumables, as follows: 2,000 first aid kits for hospitals, 200 kits for ambulances, 2,000 blood bags for the city's blood bank, 2 tons of medical gauzes, and 1,500 liters of fuel for power generators," it added.

New regime air strikes and heavy clashes shook Eastern Ghouta on Sunday despite a UN demand for a ceasefire.

At least seven civilians were killed in strikes on Sunday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, bringing the total number of dead in the week to 527, including 129 children.

After days of diplomatic wrangling, the Security Council on Saturday adopted a resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire in Syria "without delay", to allow for aid deliveries and medical evacuations.

President Bashar al-Assad's forces launched a major bombing campaign against the enclave on the edge of Damascus a week ago.

Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Saturday decried relentless regime attacks on the Damascus suburb as "crimes against humanity".

"Irrespective of the political differences, what’s happening in Eastern Ghouta is a crime against humanity. Protecting the civilians remains the responsibility of the international community," Sheikh Tamim said on Twitter.

A total of more than 340,000 people have been killed and millions driven from the homes in Syria's war, which next month enters its eighth year with no diplomatic solution in sight.

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