(Brussels) New humanitarian flights to Gaza: organised by the European Union, two flights of the humanitarian air bridge for Gaza’s population took off earlier today from Ostend (Belgium) and Dubai (United Arab Emirates) to carry nearly 115 tons of humanitarian aid to Al-Arish (Egypt) near the Rafah border crossing point. Today the Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, went to the site in Ostend to see the cargo delivered by the humanitarian partners Médecins du Monde (MdM), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and delegates from France who are donating essential medical supplies. The cargo coming from Dubai will carry logistical items such as refrigerators and containers, which are crucial for the treatment of aid arriving in Egypt and Gaza. Such items have been bought by the EU and donated to the World Food Programme (WFP) to strengthen the logistical capacity of the Egyptian Red Crescent and ease rescue operations in the region. This brings the number of EU humanitarian flights heading for Gaza to 8 in the last few weeks, which have carried over 320 tons of humanitarian supplies. In addition, given the huge humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip, “additional flights are under preparation – a notice from Brussels says – in close collaboration with the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depository (UNHRD)and other humanitarian partners to transport additional aid, including emergency items from the EU emergency reserve stocks in Dubai and Brindisi”.