Teams of Israeli medical and rescue personnel are deeply involved in rescuing and treating casualties and bringing home Israelis from the disaster area.
As the Nepal earthquake death count continues to climb above 3,300, an Israel Defense Forces relief delegation was finally able to take off from Israel on Monday morning, following delays caused by strong aftershocks in Nepal.
The 260-member team, divided among two jets, is carrying 95 tons of humanitarian and medical supplies from Israel along with 122 doctors, nurses and paramedics to provide medical care for disaster casualties in Kathmandu.
Within 12 hours of landing, the IDF personnel plan to set up a full emergency field hospital, including operating rooms, X-ray equipment and pediatric care. At the same time, other members of the team will be available for search-and-rescue missions in coordination with other aid agencies.
Several Israeli relief organizations are in Nepal or on their way, to help rescue and treat victims, and also to find and rescue Israeli citizens there. About 600 Israelis are estimated to be in Nepal, many of them post-army backpackers, plus 25 Israeli couples bringing home babies born to surrogate mothers.
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