Naama Barak
May 11, 2021

Over the weekend, Israel sent a plane full of medical equipment to India, which has been facing the worst outbreak of Covid-19 in the world since the global pandemic erupted last year. Friday’s transport was the second such delivery that week and more are expected in coming days.

“We stand by India in these difficult times just as India stood by us in the first weeks of the corona crisis when they facilitated the arrival of vital medical equipment to Israel,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi tweeted shortly after the Indian Air Force cargo plane bearing tons of equipment left Israel for India. “In the coming days, further plane loads of aid are expected to take off from Israel to our friends in India.”

Last week, Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced the delivery of a comprehensive assistance package to India that includes thousands of oxygen generators, respirators and medications.

“The extension of emergency assistance is an expression of the deep friendship between our countries, in India’s time of need. This is the true meaning of the mutual guarantee so needed during this period of the global coronavirus crisis,” Ashkenazi said when the announcement was made.

“Israel and India share strategic ties that span a wide range of political, security, and economic issues. India is one of the most important countries for Israel in the international arena, and particularly in the Asia-Pacific arena,” he added.

Also last week, Israeli aid organizations IsraAID and SmartAid sent medical supplies including oxygen concentrators to India and are exploring ways to provide technological solutions to meet gaps in Covid-19 response and care.

The past week has seen around 400,00 new daily cases of coronavirus in India as the second wave to plague the country peaked. More than 22 million people in the country have contracted the virus since its outbreak, and over 240,000 people have died from it.

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