OPEC Grants5 Mln Dlr Aid to Gaza Strip

OPEC's Fund for International Development approves a grant of $5 million to Gaza Strip residents to be distributed through 21 NGOs.

This aid is designed to help ease the suffering of the Palestinians, to provide what the Fund has referred to as 'vital, lifesaving' essentials in the region, Reuters reports.

Restrictions imposed by the Zionist occupying regime have deprived Gaza Strip's residents of basic essentials, such as medicine, and made it difficult or impossible to repair hospital equipment like x-ray machines or infant incubators.

"Damaged infrastructure and a scarcity of fuel have limited the operation of water supply and sanitation systems. As a result, the people of Gaza can access drinking water for only one to two hours per day," the fund said in a statement.

It was announced that the British-based Islamic Relief Organization would get US$3 million of the grant, Reuters adds.

The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has received a UN Award of Excellence for its efforts in fostering human growth and development in the developing countries.