DOHA: Pledges worth $45m to fund development projects in Palestine were made on the first day of the first humanitarian forum on Palestine at Doha Marriott hotel yesterday.
The Minster of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs H E Dr Ghaith bin Mubarak Al Kuwari opened the three-day forum in the presence of the Minister of Justice
H E Dr Hassan Lahdan Saqr Al Mohannadi and other dignitaries.
The forum organised by Qatar Charity (QC) under the theme ‘Palestine... We are all with you’ ends tomorrow.
Yusuf bin Ahmad Al Kuwari, CEO, QC, announced donations worth $20m (about QR73m) to support development projects.
A representative from the Islamic Development Bank also announced donations worth $25m.
“The forum aims to highlight the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people, launch a common vision for humanitarian work in Palestine and strengthen relations between institutions, humanitarian organisations, donors and beneficiaries,” said Al Kuwari.
He said the forum would support initiatives, including education, health, rehabilitation of Gaza and capacity-building for individuals and institutions.
Peter Ford, a representative from the United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA), said the forum was an important platform to help provide assistance to the people of Palestine, especially those in the war-ravaged Gaza. He said 99 percent of UNRWA beneficiaries were Palestinians.
Sheikh Dr Ikrima Al Sabri, a preacher at Al Aqsa Mosque in Palestine, said in a televised speech that the forum could help garner financial help for Palestinians who are under Israeli siege and occupation.
Engineer Mohammed Abu Halloub, Deputy Director, QC’s Gaza office, said the charity provided urgent relief in Gaza during the recent Israeli aggression through its field office despite the difficult security situation.
“We heard explosions in almost every area in Gaza but we did not stop work,” he said.
Dr Mona Khaled Mahmoud Al Lahham presented a paper ‘Human reality for Palestinian women and children’, highlighting the situation of Palestinian women and children in Israeli cells, the lives of women in different parts of Palestine like Jerusalem, West Bank, Gaza and those living in camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
A photo exhibition on the suffering of the Palestine people was also opened on the sidelines of the forum.
On the third day, a special festival will be held at Katara Cultural Village with activities highlighting the suffering of the Palestinians through cultural, art and folklore performances. It will also feature songs (Nasheed) by vocalists Abdel Fattah Al Owainat, Khair Hatem and Nasr Ataym and the Palestinian Koffiyeh Dankah Band.
The Peninsula
