In the early hours of Monday, 6 February 2023, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale struck southern and central Turkey, and northern and western Syria. Barely nine hours later, another earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 struck the same region. Cities witnessed widespread casualties as buildings collapsed, burying their inhabitants alive.

The rising death toll so far has reached over 24,000 with more than 80,000 injured. According to Reuters, at least 1.3 million people have been displaced. Rescue teams are working hard to save victims still buried under the rubble.

What is the Operation Gallant Knight II?

Under the directive of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Joint Operations Command of the UAE Ministry of Defence launched Operation Gallant Knight 2 to provide help and support to the people of Syria and Türkiye.

The UAE Armed Forces, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation; and the Emirates Red Crescent are all involved in the special operation.

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Quick to respond, a first aid plane carrying 12 tonnes of essential supplies including tents to house 216 people was sent on the first day of the operation.

So far, the UAE has sent 27 aircrafts carrying relief supplies; 17 to Turkey and 10 to Syria. The three planes that landed in Syria today airlifted 107 metric tonnes of relief supplies, including 87 tonnes of food, 20 tonnes of medical supplies and 432 tents.

Furthermore, in the Islahiye district of Gaziantep in Türkiye, current work is ongoing on a mobile field hospital to receive and treat the injured.

Search-and-rescue teams from the UAE, consisting of 134 specialists, are persistent in their efforts to save lives, and have rescued 4 people in Kermanmaraş, Türkiye, and retrieved nine bodies from under the rubble.

‘Gallant Knight / 2’ to open first phase of field hospital in Gaziantep, #Türkiye#WamNews https://t.co/itiAFLQQJq pic.twitter.com/0xVWvbMkv8

— WAM English (@WAMNEWS_ENG) February 11, 2023

What is Bridges of Goodness Campaign?

The Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) Society, a humanitarian organization affiliated with the International Federation of Red Cross, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) and the Ministry of Community Development, launched “Bridges of Goodness”.

It is an assistive campaign that allows the gathering and assembling of relief and first aid supplies to be transported to the afflicted people of Syria and Türkiye.

Today, Saturday, 11 February 2023, marked the first day of packaging initial aid, with volunteers assembling relief kits from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) and the Dubai Exhibition Centre, at Expo City Dubai.

Starting tomorrow, 12 February 2023, the ERC alongside other UAE humanitarian and charitable organisations will directly collect donations in cash and in kind over the course of the next two weeks.

Emirates Red Crescent announces sites for collecting donations for the “Bridges of Goodness” campaign within the country, for the relief of those affected by the earthquake in Syria and Turkiye

Donations can also be made through the website:https://t.co/LkDy0lu2MD pic.twitter.com/cLCr6E0HbD

— WAM English (@WAMNEWS_ENG) February 11, 2023

Read more: Volunteers Flocked To Expo City Dubai To Pack Relief Kits For Families In Turkey And Syria