JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Israel Defense Forces’ aid delegation to Japan returned home, leaving medical equipment behind for local doctors to use.
The delegation, which brought 62 tons of medical supplies and 18 tons of humanitarian aid to the city of Minami-Sanriko, hard hit by the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan in March, landed in Israel on Tuesday.
In its more than two weeks in Japan, the team of 50 doctors, communications specialists and search-and-rescue experts established a medical clinic and cared for 220 patients.
The team left behind the majority of the medical equipment, including X-ray machinery and lab equipment.
