A blood donation campaign in Gaza aims to help those in Turkey and Syria after the powerful earthquakes.
Gaza City – People in Gaza donate blood to help those injured in the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria.
Naglaa al-Ghalayini, coordinator of the Al-Amal Orphan Foundation, told Al Jazeera that the campaign is part of a solidarity initiative by Palestinian volunteers following the deadly earthquakes that killed and injured tens of thousands of people last week.
“This event aims to consolidate the idea that the Arab world and the Islamic world are one world – one body – and what hurts Syria and Turkey hurts Gaza and Palestine,” al-Ghalayini said.
“It is true that we in Gaza do not have the equipment or capabilities that can be provided to the victims of the earthquake in Syria and Turkey or material opportunities, but we have our blood that we can offer to our brothers in Turkey and Syria in loyalty to all the people who supported the Palestinian cause and supported Gaza .”
Al-Ghalayini expressed his condolences to the families of the victims in Turkey and Syria, and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
‘Sad and shocked’
Subhi Quta, 33, told Al Jazeera that he came to donate blood as soon as he heard about the campaign, seeing it as an opportunity to help after the disaster in Syria and Turkey.
“We were all sad and shocked by what happened after the earthquake. In previous wars in Gaza, we witnessed scenes of buildings being demolished and bodies being pulled out from under the rubble. But the tragedy in Turkey and Syria is exponentially catastrophic,” Quta said.
The same opinion is shared by Sohaib Shehadeh (43).
“If I could do more than that, I wouldn’t hesitate. And if the door of volunteering to go and help with the removal of the rubble and the homeless families opened up, I would definitely participate,” said Shehadeh.
“I lost my house in Israeli bombing many years ago, and my brother, uncle and his family were killed in Israeli bombing of their house. The bitterness of homelessness and loss is one, whether natural or man-made.”
Nearly 26 million people were affected by the February 6 earthquake that devastated southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria.
The death toll from the earthquakes has risen to over 33,000 as rescue efforts continue.
