23 November 2023, Cairo, Egypt – The World Health Organization (WHO) and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) today signed a letter of intent to solidify their commitment to collaborative humanitarian efforts in the Gaza Strip.

The letter of intent, for US$ 10 million, was signed by Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, and His Excellency Dr Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of KSrelief. The document reflects the continued shared vision and dedication of both organizations to address urgent health needs of people in the Region.

The support funded by KSrelief will be aligned with WHO’s operational plan for the occupied Palestinian territory, with a focus on ensuring the availability of life-saving medical supplies and equipment in the Gaza Strip, as well as fuel availability.

As deaths and injuries in the Gaza Strip continue to rise, this support will allow WHO to procure additional life-saving trauma supplies for delivery to health facilities in the Gaza Strip as soon as access is possible. Intense overcrowding and disrupted health, water and sanitation systems are contributing to the rapid spread of infectious diseases, which also demand an urgent scaled-up response. Fuel is also urgently needed, to power the delivery of essential service at health facilities as well as ambulance services. This response, however, is dependent on the unimpeded delivery of safe water, food, fuel and other humanitarian aid to health facilities, so that they can function and provide the life-saving health services that are desperately needed.

KSrelief is a long-standing partner of WHO, working to preserve health systems and facilitating the provision of life-saving services and supplies in emergency-affected countries and territories across the Region and beyond. Since 2016, WHO and KSrelief have collaborated on multiple health projects in emergency settings at a total cost of more than US$ 300 million.