The State of Palestine’s urgent intervention and response team Wednesday has travelled to Libya to participate in the rescue operations for survivors and missing people, as a result of the torrents and floods that struck eastern Libya. The political advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ambassador Ahmad Al-Deek, said that the team is leaving, under the directives of President Mahmoud Abbas, for Libya, in order to stand by the Libyan people in facing the repercussions of the devastating Hurricane Daniel. He added that the team, consisting of 37 participants from the Civil Defense, the Ministry of Health, and the Palestinian International Cooperation Agency (PICA), will participate with Libyan and international rescue teams in rescue operations and providing aid and assistance. Al-Deek pointed out that the team has extensive experience in rescue operations in more than one country in the world, noting that the conditions in the areas that were exposed to the hurricane are very dangerous, and that the team faces a difficult mission. He also added that there are dozens of Palestinian families still missing, while the number of victims among Palestinian people has so far reached 23, expressing his hope that some of the missing families will be found alive. Al-Deek stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has formed a crisis cell in order to check on the members of the Palestinian community there, and that research operations are underway in an attempt to find dozens of missing families alive. He stressed that the participation of the State of Palestine in search and rescue operations confirms the depth of relations between the two countries. Director of International Relations at the Civil Defense, Odeh Younis, said that the participating team from the Civil Defense is the Palestinian water rescue team was trained to deal with disasters that occur as a result of hurricanes and floods. He added that the team’s mission will last for a week, which can be extended, according to the needs requested by the State of Libya. In February 2023, Palestine’s urgent intervention and response team participated in the rescue mission in the areas badly hit by the tragic earthquake in northwestern Syria.
Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA