Scotland: firefighters donate fire appliance to Gaza

Firefighters in Scotland have announced that they are donating a fire appliance to their counterparts in the Gaza Strip. The move is an effort to alleviate the besieged territory’s humanitarian and civil defence crisis amid Israel’s ongoing military offensive.

Donated by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) in Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to the Palestinian Fire and Rescue Service, the vehicle will reportedly be fitted with the latest equipment in order to assist in Gaza’s firefighting and rescue efforts.

Set to go to Gaza later this year, the FBU in Scotland and its members are still planning how to transport the specialist vehicle. Logistical obstacles are likely to emerge, including the potential of it joining the long queue of humanitarian aid lorries attempting to enter the besieged territory from the Egyptian border. Another option could be for it enter Gaza via the occupation state of Israel, but that could face political obstacles.

Read: Gaza civil defence appeals for equipment to support rescue effort

According to the Scottish newspaper The Press and Journal, FBU official and former firefighter Jim Malone said: “The situation in Gaza is appalling. The people are being subjected to unimaginable horrors on a daily basis. There is an urgent need for supplies to alleviate the humanitarian crisis that has unfolded.”

Comrades in the Palestinian Fire and Rescue Service battle every hour to save lives as the Israeli government continues its collective punishment of the civilian population, added Malone. “Whilst carrying out their duties, they have come under sustained attacks from Israeli forces.”

The union official expressed the hope that, “The delivery of this fire appliance later this year will help protect the lives of innocent men, women and children, but our greatest hope is for a permanent peace and justice for the people of Palestine.”

The FBU in Scotland has a history of providing support to its firefighting counterparts in Palestine over the years, including through conducting exchange visits, training exercises and the provision of kit, equipment and breathing apparatus. This donation of the surplus fire appliance is the third such vehicle to be donated by the FBU in Scotland to the Palestinians since 2011.

Read: ‘Where is humanity?’ Scottish activists decry Israel’s Gaza ‘genocide’, ‘war crimes’ in Gaza