IsraAID launches emergency response after quake rocks Türkiye and Syria
IsraAID, Israel’s leading non-governmental humanitarian aid group, is responding to a massive earthquake that struck Türkiye and Syria early Monday morning. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake has left thousands of people dead and thousands more injured. Initially, the organization will deliver urgently needed relief supplies in the affected area, while assessing further needs on the ground.
Monday’s quake, centered on Gaziantep province in southeastern Türkiye, was one of the strongest to hit the region in over 100 years. As of Monday afternoon, about 1,500 people had been killed in Türkiye and nearly 800 had been killed in Syria. Strong aftershocks were felt across the region for hours, including in Israel, with an additional magnitude 7.5 quake hitting on Monday afternoon.
IsraAID has extensive experience responding to earthquakes around the world, including in Haiti in 2021 and 2010, Indonesia in 2018, Nepal in 2015, Japan in 2011, and more. In 2017, IsraAID responded to the Syrian refugee crisis in Türkiye, providing warm winter clothing to migrants, and establishing education programs for displaced women and children, as part of the organization’s broader response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis across the Mediterranean. The area affected by today’s earthquake currently houses the second-largest population of Syrian refugees in Türkiye, after Istanbul.
IsraAID’s CEO, Yotam Polizer, said:
“Our hearts go out to the communities in Türkiye and Syria that have been affected by this earthquake and we will work to provide immediate, essential aid in the wake of this disaster. We are committed to using our extensive experience responding to earthquakes and other disasters around the world to serve vulnerable people who have been affected by this crisis. We are urgently deploying an Emergency Response Team to the affected area in Türkiye and will be assessing the situation to see how we can best stand by these communities and promote resilience on the long road to recovery.”
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Further information is available on request, including interviews with IsraAID CEO Yotam Polizer and other individuals involved in this operation.
CONTACT:
Shachar May
Email: [email protected]
Notes:
IsraAID is a leading international humanitarian non-governmental organization, based in Israel. Since 2001, IsraAID has become synonymous with a rapid response to humanitarian crises. Its medical teams, post-trauma experts, community specialists and other professionals have led international responses to disasters and civil strife around the world. During and after emergencies, IsraAID partners with local communities to re-build their lives, their communities and their futures, together. As of January 2023, IsraAID has responded to crises in 60 countries.
