MER-C Continues to distribute food aid to refugees in South Gaza

Food aid from Indonesia’s Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C) has been sent to the refugee camp in South Gaza since November 30, 2023.

 

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Indonesia’s Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C) through its volunteers in the Gaza Strip, has distributed food aid to 1,600 Palestinian refugees in Khan Younis, South Gaza.

In its press release made available for Indonesia Window here on Wednesday, MER-C said one of its volunteers in Gaza, Fikri Rofiul Haq, and local volunteers distributed food aid on Friday (Jan. 5).

They slaughtered 15 goats with a total of 300 kg of meat and cooked about 75 kg of rice.

“In Shaa Allah (God Willing), we will make a big meal for Palestinian refugees in two schools near European hospitals, because it is customary for Gazans every Friday to have a big meal with their families, relatives or friends,” Fikri said.

According to him, Gazans usually eat breads. They don’t eat rice every day. It was only on Fridays that during this big meal, they eat rice together.

“But during this war we eat as we are, because the goods are increasingly difficult and the conditions are very concerning,” he said.

He said at first they had planned to slaughter cows that usually weigh up to 500, 600 kg to one ton, but  now the stock is no longer available.

Finally, Fikri pointed out that he still got a cow weighing 350 kg, which if slaughtered two cows could weigh up to 700 kg.

“However when we went to Rafah there were only cows weighing 180 to 200 kg. They were very small,” he noted.

“We are also looking for finished beef for 350 kg initially and a kilo of beef costs 50 shekels or 200,000 rupiahs (Indonesian currency). So they spent a total of 70 million for a big meal for the refugees at the two schools. We don’t get the meat either, so we replace with 15 goats,” he added.

He further said that previously only 1,200 Gazans took refuge in the schools, but now the number has increased to more than 1,600 including the injured.

Food aid from the the Medical Emergency Rescue Committee has been sent to the refugee camp in South Gaza since November 30, 2023.

Every day, for more than a month, two MER-C volunteers who remain in the Gaza Strip, Fikri Rofiul Haq and Reza Aldilla Kurniawan, assisted by local staff, have been working to organize the regular ready-to-eat food program for more than 1,200 refugees.

Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip to date have killed at least 22,800 Palestinians and wounded more than 58,400 others.

Israel’s onslaught has caused devastation in Gaza, with 60 percent of the area’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed, and nearly two million residents displaced amid shortages of foods, clean water, and medicines.

Fikri himself reported that currently Israeli drones are still hovering over the skies of Gaza. Gunshots between Palestinian fighters and Israeli forces are also still frequently heard from the border.

The distance between the refugees they occupy to the border is only two kilometers, so they (the gunshots) are heard very clear.

Reporting by Indonesia Window