Zimbabwe Donates US$500,000 To Palestine

The Government of Zimbabwe has donated US$500,000 to Palestine through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

In a statement issued this Thursday, 04 April, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said President Emmerson Mnangagwa authorized the allocation of funds to assist Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Reads the statement:

Today, the Government donated US$500,000 to the Palestinian people through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. H.E. President Mnangagwa authorized the allocation of funds specifically for Gaza’s suffering population as assistance.

Zimbabwe expressed its sadness over Israel’s continuous devastation of the Gaza Strip and strongly condemned these actions.

The donation comes as critical aid agencies have imposed severe constraints on essential humanitarian efforts in the enclave.

According to CNN, at least three aid providers are suspending operations in Gaza after Israeli airstrikes this week killed seven workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK), an aid group that was central to a much-touted new sea corridor from Cyprus.

The killings, which included six foreign victims, caused an international uproar against Israel. The victims were British, Polish, Australian, and Palestinian and also included a dual US-Canadian citizen. 

Israel has taken responsibility for the killings, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying on Tuesday that Israeli forces had “unintentionally struck innocent people in the Gaza Strip.”

Imagery of three destroyed vehicles analyzed by CNN however showed that the first vehicle was 2.4 kilometres apart from the third, indicating that they were hit by separate strikes.

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), all 2.2 million people in Gaza do not have enough food to eat, with half of the population on the brink of starvation and famine.

UNRWA’s convoys have previously been hit by Israeli fire, and the group has been banned by Israel from operating in Gaza’s north.

On Monday, the Cypriot foreign ministry reported that a vessel organized by WCK, carrying approximately 332 tons of humanitarian aid, departed from Gaza without unloading most of its cargo due to the deadly strike on WCK workers.

US President Joe Biden expressed outrage over the aid workers’ deaths and called for better protection for civilians and aid workers.

Recently, the first airdrop of US humanitarian aid was received in Gaza, providing much-needed supplies.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas, a militant group ruling the Gaza Strip, has deep-rooted causes and has led to multiple rounds of violence over the years.

The Gaza-Israel conflict is a localized part of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which began in 1948.

In 1948, after World War II and the Holocaust, Britain withdrew from the area known as Palestine.

Jewish leaders declared the creation of the State of Israel, intended as a haven for Jews fleeing persecution and a national homeland.

Fighting between Jewish and Arab militias intensified, leading to the Arab-Israeli War.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced out of their homes during this period, which they refer to as Al Nakba (the “Catastrophe”).

Hamas won elections and took control of Gaza in 2006, and since then, Gaza has witnessed protests, bombings, land assaults, and other acts of violence.

The ongoing Israeli-Hamas war began when Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel from the Gaza Strip on 07 October 2023.

In an organized operation, the border fence was breached at multiple points, catching Israel’s security forces off-guard.

The attackers proceeded into civilian areas, resulting in violence and chaos. Militants took captives from a wide swath of territory along Gaza’s border with southern Israel.

Hamas stated that the attack aimed to free Palestinian prisoners, halt Israeli aggression at the al-Aqsa Mosque, and break the siege on Gaza.

Following the attack, Israel declared war on Hamas, leading to sustained Israeli air and artillery strikes in Gaza.

More: Pindula News