JEDDAH, June 22, 2009 (WAFA) The Organization of the Islamic Conference (Department of Humanitarian Affairs) inaugurated the first stage of its humanitarian programme to assist the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip by inaugurating vital projects inside the Strip, the OIC said today in a press release.

In this framework, the OIC opened the first specialized eye hospital in the Gaza Strip during a big ceremony held on Friday 19/06/2009. This hospital is the first of its kind in the Strip. It provides comprehensive services in the treatment and surgery of eyes. The OIC delegation visiting the Gaza Strip these days has also distributed medical equipments worth a total value of US$ one million two hundred thousand on the different hospitals of the Strip.

It is worth mentioning that OIC Secretary General Professor Ekmeleddin Ihssanoglu visited Gaza last March. He inspected the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and declared that the OIC will continue its humanitarian work to reduce the suffering of citizens in the Strip.

The overall assistance provided until now by the OIC and its partners in the field of emergency relief has exceeded 30 million Saudi Riyals.