RAMALLAH/GAZA: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday expressed his appreciation for Kuwait’s continued support for Palestinian statehood aspirations, saying the two sides share an array of mutual concerns that call for greatest bilateral cooperation. As he received the new Kuwaiti Ambassador to Jordan and non-resident envoy in Palestinian territories Hamad Al-Marri, the Palestinian leader told the Kuwaiti diplomat that bilateral cooperation has been on the rise, in addition to “continued coordination” over a number of pressing matters, according to Palestinian WAFA news agency.

After submitting a copy of his credentials to the Palestinian president, the Kuwaiti diplomat said he was honored to have been chosen for the role, saying it was a sign of trust and confidence instilled in him by the Kuwaiti leadership, citing his country’s unflinching support for the Palestinians. He added he was hopeful that his appointment as non-resident envoy to the Palestinian territories would help usher in a new era of greater cooperation, describing the “Palestinian cause” as the wider Arab region’s chief concern.

The diplomat reiterated Kuwait’s support for Palestinian statehood aspirations, saying such assistance will continue until these aspirations inevitably come to fruition, particularly at a time of “grave” Zionist “human rights violations”. Marri held similar talks with Palestinian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Mustafa, in which the latter voiced equal gratitude for Kuwait’s support for Palestinian statehood as the two discussed the latest regional and global developments, his office said in a statement.

Meanwhile, a medical delegation from Kuwait Society for Relief distributed 2,500 food parcels and 330 medical packs to residents of Al-Hasanat refugee camp to the west of Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza Strip on Saturday.

The delegation visited the philanthropic kitchen funded by the society and the x-ray diagnostic center at Kuwait Hospital to inspect the works being implemented by the society, head of the team Omar Al-Thoweini said in statements to KUNA.

The team has also paid an inspection tour of various wards of Jaffa Hospital, Al-Barka Bakery and Dar Al-Yateem orphanage to assess the damage inflected on them by recent Zionist bombardment. The medical team, the second of its kind from Kuwait, entered Gaza from the Rafah border crossing on Tuesday to conduct dozens of surgeries on Palestinian patients and support the health sector in Gaza. The first team paid a two-week visit to Gaza in early April on a similar humanitarian mission. – KUNA