KSrelief to Construct 3,000 Units for Earthquake Victims in Türkiye, Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu with the delegation of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) (SPA)
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu with the delegation of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) (SPA)
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KSrelief to Construct 3,000 Units for Earthquake Victims in Türkiye, Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu with the delegation of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) (SPA)
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu with the delegation of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) (SPA)

The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) announced Tuesday that the eighth relief plane landed at Aleppo International Airport as part of the Saudi air bridge to help the victims of the devastating earthquake that struck Syria and Türkiye, leaving more than 35,000 dead and wounded.

Advisor at the Royal Court and general supervisor of KSrelief, Abdullah al-Rabeeah, said the center was able to provide temporary tents for those affected by the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria and is considering constructing 3,000 temporary buildings for these people.

Rabeeah said in a televised interview that Saudi Arabia was one of the first countries to reach the quake-hit regions immediately after the disaster and provided many food, shelter materials, medicines, and health supplies.

He pointed out that the areas affected by the earthquake need services that are not limited to rapid intervention only, adding that the center and its participants will continue to provide aid for weeks and perhaps months.

According to the Center, the eighth plane that landed at Aleppo Airport carried food, and medical and shelter supplies weighing 35.3 tonnes.

For his part, the Director of the Operations Support Department, Faleh al-Subaie, explained that the Saudi bridge included the entry of relief trucks across the Turkish-Syrian border.

He indicated, in televised statements, that the plane that landed at Aleppo Airport was the first, and additional flights would follow on Wednesday and Thursday.

Subaie asserted that the center would send more aid planes if needed, based on the assessment of the situation.

The new aid shipment is part of the Saudi relief airlift dispatched by KSrelief to help the victims of earthquakes in Syria and Türkiye upon the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu lauded the quick response of Saudi relief teams to rescue earthquake victims, confirming that it embodies the depth of relations between the two countries.

Cavusoglu met with the delegation of KSrelief and the Saudi Red Crescent, taking part in the process of helping the victims of earthquakes in Syria and Türkiye. He thanked the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince.



Qatar Pledges Aid for Gaza as More Trucks Cross into the Territory

 This picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows an afternoon view of destroyed buildings in Gaza, on January 20, 2025, following a ceasefire deal a day earlier between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group. (AFP)
This picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows an afternoon view of destroyed buildings in Gaza, on January 20, 2025, following a ceasefire deal a day earlier between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group. (AFP)
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Qatar Pledges Aid for Gaza as More Trucks Cross into the Territory

 This picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows an afternoon view of destroyed buildings in Gaza, on January 20, 2025, following a ceasefire deal a day earlier between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group. (AFP)
This picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows an afternoon view of destroyed buildings in Gaza, on January 20, 2025, following a ceasefire deal a day earlier between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group. (AFP)

Qatar on Monday announced plans to supply post-ceasefire Gaza with resources via a “land bridge” at Kerem Shalom, on the border between Egypt, Israel and the coastal Palestinian enclave.

After sending 25 fuel trucks to Gaza on Monday, Qatar plans to supply Gaza with 3.3 million gallons (12.5 million liters) of fuel over the next 10 days, its Foreign Ministry said. The fuel is intended to provide basic services and power hospitals and shelters.

Over the course of the 16-month war, the majority of aid has crossed into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing, although it has intermittently closed amid disagreements over what kind of aid can be allowed into the strip. Israel previously restricted entry of some equipment, arguing it could be used for military purposes by Hamas.

Allowing more aid into Gaza is a central tenet of the ceasefire deal’s first phase and will be key to later reconstruction efforts. The deal allows for hundreds of trucks — more than Israel has previously allowed — to deliver aid to Gaza.

Egypt’s state-run press center said Monday that at least 300 aid trucks entered Kerem Shalom and the Nitzana crossing to the south since the ceasefire took effect, as well as 12 diesel trucks and four gas trucks.

However, some of those trucks have carried food aid labeled for UNRWA, the UN agency that Israel has vowed to ban from operating even as it remains the primary distributor of aid in Gaza.

Truck drivers told The Associated Press that throughout the war, vehicles have been turned back for minor bureaucratic infractions or not having aid properly packaged or wrapped.

“If items are approved, we unload them and head back to Egypt ... Some trucks have to drive all the way back with packages they left with that contain expired food aid or that the driver’s or truck information is not listed correctly,” driver Hamdy Emad said.