Fifteen of Gaza's 27 hospitals were damaged in the bombing and face serious shortages of basic supplies.

The international community responded swiftly during the attacks on Gaza, shipping huge amounts of medicines for victims there. But now the hospitals and clinics in Gaza are running low on certain medicines like cancer drugs, as well as crucial disposable supplies, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

UPA has responded by partnering with International Relief and Development (IRD) to ship a 40-foot container of donated surgical and trauma care supplies. The nearly one-million-dollars' worth of supplies include surgical equipment like speculums, forceps, clamps, and arteriogram trays for radiology, as well as disposables like syringes, sterile field towels, and burn dressings.

"There is a great risk of infections spreading when basic sterilizing equipment or sterile disposables run low," said UPA Director of Programs Melinda Borne. "In addition to helping individual patients, this shipment addresses a critical public-health issue."

The shipment, which left the United States on March 6, is slated to arrive on March 27 and will be distributed in close coordination with international relief agencies.

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