The Israel-Palestine conflict, which erupted on October 7, 2023, has resulted in thousands of deaths, tens of thousands of injuries, and approximately one million displaced persons.
Amidst this humanitarian crisis, the list of countries committed to providing aid to Palestinians continues to grow.
The latest aid announcements came from the Japanese and Irish governments.
On Wednesday (October 18, 2023), Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa announced her country's readiness to provide US$10 million, or approximately Rp157 billion (assuming an exchange rate of Rp15,709 per US$).
"This US$10 million in emergency humanitarian assistance for Palestine will be channeled through international organizations," said Yoko Kamikawa, as reported by *The Japan Times* on Wednesday (October 18, 2023).
On the same day, the Irish government announced it would provide US$13.7 million, or approximately Rp215 billion.
Part of the Irish aid will be channeled through the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and the rest through the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
"This is a crisis that cannot be delayed," said Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin, as reported by *Anadolu Agency* on Wednesday (October 18, 2023).
Previously, during the period of October 8-17, 2023, several other countries announced similar aid, namely the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Iceland.
In total, by Wednesday (October 18, 2023), 10 countries had pledged aid to Palestine, with a total value of approximately Rp2.27 trillion.
Despite the increasing number of donor countries, aid supplies have not been able to reach Palestinian territories because their routes are blocked by Israeli forces.
"The Egyptian government says that Israel is not cooperating in the delivery of aid to Gaza, causing hundreds of tons of aid supplies to be held up," said *Reuters* on Tuesday (October 17, 2023).
Similar problems were reported by OCHA.
"The complete siege of Gaza continues. The Rafah crossing (a city in the Gaza Strip bordering Egypt) remains closed, preventing the entry of much-needed humanitarian aid, including food, water, and medicines waiting in Egyptian territory," said OCHA in a press release on Wednesday (October 18, 2023).
"The Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings (Gaza Strip border with Israel) also remain closed," it continued.