King donates blood for Gazans, directs gov't to step up aid

AMMAN –– His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday donated blood for wounded Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

A photo posted on the Twitter account of the Royal Court (@RHCJO) showed the King donating blood at the King Hussein Medical City.

Also on Tuesday, King Abdullah instructed Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Gen. Mashal Al Zaben and the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO) to continue their utmost efforts to provide relief and medical aid to Palestinians in Gaza, a Royal Court statement said.

The Royal directives stressed the importance of facilitating and taking all necessary measures to deliver assistance to the coastal enclave in light of the dangerous Israeli escalation against the strip, which resulted in a large number of deaths and injuries.

The worsening humanitarian and medical situation in Gaza and the disruption of many necessary services there requires delivering aid to alleviate the suffering of Gazans, said the statement.

Last month, the King directed Zaben to boost the cadres of the Jordanian military field hospital in Gaza with surgeons, orthopaedists, anaesthesiologist and other specialisations, in addition to medical equipment and blood units.

Since the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza and upon Royal directives, the JHCO has dispatched over 180 trucks loaded with humanitarian, food and medical assistance to the strip, in addition to facilitating the delivery of Arab and international aid.

On Tuesday, the JHCO dispatched a12-truck convoy of humanitarian assistance from the people of Jordan to the people of Gaza, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

HRH Prince Rashed, who heads JHCO’s board of trustees, said the organisation will continue doing its utmost to deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza under His Majesty's directives, noting that various segments of the Jordanian community are taking part in this effort, Petra reported.

The JHCO has also received 65 tonnes of medical and relief aid from Qatar. An aircraft carrying the assistance landed in Jordan on Tuesday, according to Petra.