A US$ 25 million emergency relief program has been approved by the Administrative Committee of Al-Aqsa and Al- Quds Funds, managed by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), to provide food, medicine, medical appliances and emergency rehabilitation operations in the Gaza Strip. The Committee which concluded its 34th meeting at the headquarters of IDB in Jeddah under the chairmanship of the representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Committee, H.E. Eng. Yosef Ibrahim Al Bassam will execute the Programme in close cooperation with the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the Palestinian Red Crescent.

The Programme will also be coordinated with the Saudi Committee for the Relief of Palestinian People, the Egyptian Red Crescent, the Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization, the Qatari Red Crescent, the Arab Gulf Program for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND) and other organizations. The Committee decided to make further consultations with the Coordination Group and other charitable organizations to ensure maximum success of the relief operations.

During its meeting the Committee commended the warmhearted initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for launching a Saudi donation telethon for supporting Palestinian People. On Saturday, the Kingdom organized a telethon that collected SR 120 million for the relief of Palestinian People in the Gaza Strip . The Committee also called for all donors in different relief and rehabilitation arenas to act responsively to the emergent needs of the Palestinian People in the Gaza Strip which is currently experiencing grave developments.