Ramallah /PNN/
As the death toll from the devastating earthquake that hit southern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday has exceeded 16,000 people, Palestinians in the occupied territories and members of the community in the United States have launched efforts to help the quake victims.
Palestine's Rapid Response and Rescue team, supervised by the Palestinian Agency for International Cooperation (PICA), headed today to both Syria and Turkey to take part in the ongoing efforts to help people in the devastated regions affected by the earthquakes.
The team consists of the Palestinian Civil Defense, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, the Ministry of Health,
The Palestinian Red Crescent said it is sending 25 of its medical staff to Turkey and Syria to help in the relief efforts.
For her part the Palestinian Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Amal Jadou Shakaa, expressed her condolences to the Syrian and Turkish peoples after this humanitarian disaster.
Dr. Amal Jado Shakaa, said that we bid farewell to the Palestinian intervention and rescue team heading to both the brotherly Syrian Arab Republic and the friendly Republic of Turkey, in response to the President's instructions to help and contribute to providing aid to those affected by the earthquake.
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked the participants in the Palestinian relief delegation, which goes to support our Syrian brothers and Turkish friends.
She also expressed appreciation for the efforts of the director and cadres of the Palestinian International Cooperation Agency for their coordinating and supervising role on the delegation.
Meanwhile, members of the Palestinian-American community in the United States have appealed for contributions to support institutions working in the field in Syria and Turkey, whether they were in the health sector or relief and rescue services, and to house displaced families in an attempt to help in the relief efforts for the victims of the earthquake that left tens of thousands dead, injured, and homeless.
