KUWAIT: International Islamic Charity Organization (IICO) has spent over $11 million since October 2023 in aid distributed to over two million Palestinians, the organization said Wednesday. Dr Abdullah Al-Matouq, the organization’s president, said in a press conference that the aid included 86 relief projects across various fields, executed in cooperation with Kuwaiti, Palestinian, Jordanian, Turkish and Egyptian charitable organizations.
IICO has utilized every possible opportunity since the onset of Zionist assault on Gaza to provide relief through airlifts, maritime shipments and trucks. He noted that over $677,000 was spent to launch housing projects, provide tents and rehabilitate several shelters for 12,000 displaced individuals, in addition to supplying potable water to over 1.5 million Palestinians in both northern and southern Gaza as part of the "Water for Gaza” campaign, which cost over $500,000.
IICO has provided urgent supplies and medications to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and other hospitals in Gaza, and sponsored 383 healthcare workers. IICO also provided urgent relief to victims of the Zionist aggression who were transferred for treatment in Turkey. The authority undertook projects to equip dental clinics at the Indonesian Hospital and supplied medical tools and medications for the injured and disabled.
Education, community
The organization, in collaboration with the Islamic University of Gaza set up five educational tents to receive 1,200 students. The centers also paid local teachers for their services and offering psychological and social support for students. Another educational project, "tawasul”, supported e-learning for 500 students in the strip. IICO also supported Palestinian students from Gaza studying in Turkish and Malaysian universities. The charity launched programs to distribute food parcels, ready-to-eat meals, fuel, and bread for displaced individuals and field workers, along with winter clothing parcels, vouchers for purchasing goods, and cash assistance. Daily meals were provided to 180,000 displaced individuals in Deir Al-Balah and Gaza’ s central governorate.
It also initiated efforts to enhance local community capabilities by employing 150 workers in agriculture, sanitation and epidemic response. An IICO campaign supported displaced families in gaining livelihoods and rehabilitating the agricultural sector in Gaza, as well as enhancing food security and restoring shelters in Jabalia camp, alongside purchasing 10,000 kilograms of olive oil from farmers in the West Bank for distribution in Gaza.
Relief bridges, convoys
The charity contributed to 40 relief flights in collaboration with the Kuwaiti Air Force and Kuwaiti charitable organizations, costing over $700,000. They also participated in dispatching three ships carrying 3,600 tons of essential relief supplies. The authority organized land convoys from Kuwait directly to the Rafah border in partnership with Kuwaiti charities, carrying 1,735 tons of supplies, in addition to supporting two air drops by the Jordanian Air Force in collaboration with Kuwaiti and Jordanian charities. Eight relief trucks loaded with 580 parcels of clothing, food, and health and women’s supplies were also prepared.
Global efforts
To mobilize efforts from international organizations for Gaza relief, the charity held an international conference to build a global humanitarian alliance to support and enhance humanitarian interventions and early recovery in Gaza, in coordination with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, involving 147 local, regional, and international organizations from 48 countries. Organizations participating in the conference committed to implementing programs and projects worth over $2 billion to support the humanitarian situation in Gaza over the next two years.
Matouq expressed his sincere gratitude and appreciation to the supporters and donors for the charity’s projects in Gaza over the past year, emphasizing the IICO’s commitment to supporting the people of Gaza in line with its humanitarian and moral responsibilities. — KUNA