Humanitarian aid: India sends 30 tonnes of essential medical supplies to Palestine

India sent 30 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Palestine on Tuesday, continuing its support to the war-affected region.

This is the second shipment carrying medical supplies, essential life-saving drugs, and anti-cancer medications for the people of Palestine.

"India's support to the people of Palestine continues. Extending humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine, India sends 30 tonnes of medical supplies comprising essential life-saving and anti-cancer drugs to Palestine," according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), which announced the consignment on X.

On October 22, India had already dispatched the first shipment to Palestine via the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

This initial batch also included 30 tonnes of medicines and food items, including a range of essential medical supplies, surgical items, dental products, general medical items, and high-energy biscuits.

In a similar humanitarian initiative, India sent a shipment of 11 tonnes of medical supplies to Lebanon on October 18, with a total of 33 tonnes of aid planned in response to the escalating conflict in southern Lebanon.

India had pledged to continue supporting the embattled UN agency helping Palestinians, which is facing a financial crisis even as its needs have risen because of the Hamas-Israel conflict.

India's support for the Palestinian cause is an integral part of the nation's foreign policy. In 1974, India became the first non-Arab state to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.

In 1988, India became one of the first countries to recognise the Palestinian State. In 1996, India opened its Representative Office in Gaza, which was later shifted to Ramallah in 2003.

UNIFIL, which has been operational in the region since 1978, recently renewed its mandate for another year, stressing the importance of protecting its peacekeepers as violence continues to escalate in southern Lebanon.

(With inputs from IANS)