India has sent humanitarian aid, comprising medical and disaster relief material, for Palestinian people in war-torn Gaza, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Sunday.  An Indian Air Force C17 aircraft carrying 32 tons of disaster relief material departed from the Hindon airbase at 8 am in the morning. The plane will land at Egypt’s El-Arish airport later today.

Gaza has been facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis due to a deadly war between Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and Hamas following the Palestinian militant outfit’s brutal October 7 assault on Israel.

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Gazans are facing acute shortage of drinking water, food, fuel and electricity following Israel’s “complete siege” of supplies to blockaded enclave. Hospitals in the Gaza Strip have almost run out of medical supplies as hospitalizations have seen a sharp rise due to war.

India’s aid supplies included essential life-saving medicines, protective and surgical items aimed at handling emergency medical conditions in view of Israeli bombardment of the Hamas-controlled territory.

Fluids and painkillers have been included in humanitarian aid for immediate relief. The disaster relief material weighing approximately 32 tons includes tents, sleeping bags, tarpaulins, basic sanitary utilities, water purification tablets etc.

The development comes a day after Egypt opened the Rafah border crossing and allowed 20 aid trucks to enter Gaza. Israel had allowed the aid to enter Gaza following an agreement between Israel, USA and Egypt.

However, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that “needs are far higher” in the enclave that has more than 2 million people. He also called for the “safe passage of additional aid convoys across the enclave”.