Taiwan donates US$500,000 to help people in Gaza

Taipei, May 9 (CNA) The Taiwan government recently donated US$500,000 to an international NGO to provide humanitarian assistance to people in the Gaza Strip who are being affected by the Israel-Hamas war, a senior foreign affairs official said Thursday.

The donation was sent to Mercy Corps, a global non-governmental humanitarian aid organization, said Anthony Ho (賀忠義), head of the Department of West Asian and African Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The money is being used by Mercy Corps Palestine to supply food, clean water, clothing and tents to those in need in Gaza, he said at a press conference.

The arrangements for the US$500,000 donation to Mercy Corps took about three months to complete, via Taiwan's representative office in Jordan, Ho said, adding that the process was slow because Taiwan has no presence in Gaza, where the war has been going on for many months.

Taiwan's donation to help the Palestine people followed several earlier donations to Israel, after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel last October, killing more than 1,000 people and abducting over 200 others.

In retaliation, Israel has been carrying out continuous airstrikes on Gaza, killing more than 34,000 and wounding over 78,000 others to date, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run Gaza government.

Amid criticisms of Israel in the international community, Ho said Thursday that the Taiwan government was continuing its call for all parties involved in the Middle East conflict to agree to a new truce as soon as possible.

"We are hoping to see some follow-up mediation and talks that will ultimately bring peace to that region," Ho said.