ROME (JTA) – Italy’s Jewish community will send medical supplies to aid children in both Israel and Gaza.
Rome Jewish Community President Riccardo Pacifici said community representatives will meet with Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini on Jan. 5 to formally present the offer of more than $400,000 in aid.
In an announcement, the Rome Jewish Community and the Union of Italian Jewish Communities umbrella group said that two-thirds of the donation will go to children and other civilians in Gaza "caught up in the targeted attacks on the Hamas terrorist infrastructure."
The remaining will go to children and civilians in southern Israel hit by Hamas rockets.
"Ours is a gesture of humanity aimed at alleviating the suffering of children in Israel and Gaza, accompanied by the hope that in Gaza the predominance of groups who make indiscriminate use of violent and terrorist methods will cease," said UCEI President Renzo Gattegna.
The donation was made in direct response to an appeal launched Tuesday by Frattini, which called for Italians to raise about $1.4 million to aid civilians hit by both Hamas rockets and Israeli airstrikes.
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