Irish Aid tents arrive in Gaza
Tents provided by Irish Aid are sheltering people displaced by the bombardment.
Tents provided by Ireland have arrived in Gaza and are being used to provide shelter to some of the huge number of people left homeless by the ongoing bombardment.
The tents were provided by Irish Aid and were distributed in Gaza in coordination with Trócaire and Catholic Relief Services (CRS).
Jamal Abedallah and his family were among the people in Gaza who received the tents.
“The CRS team found us sleeping on the street,” he said. “The tent provided us warmth and protection. The day we got the tent was the first day we felt warm."
With 85% of people in Gaza displaced, there is a critical shortage of shelter. The tents are part of 50 tonnes of relief supplies sent to Gaza by Irish Aid in December. Over 500 tents were included in the shipment, which was part of Ireland’s emergency response to the crisis facing people in Gaza.
Speaking when the shipment was announced, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin described the situation facing people in Gaza as “beyond comprehension” and said that the tents would provide vital shelter.
Minister of State for International Development and the Diaspora, Seán Fleming T.D., said the shipment signalled Ireland’s “ongoing commitment to help the people of Gaza, who desperately need food, water, shelter, fuel and medical supplies.”
Ireland has provided €36 million to Palestine in 2023, including direct humanitarian relief in response to the level of suffering currently being experienced by people in Gaza.
Read the latest statement on Gaza by Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin.