Responding to the urgent need for blood and blood products in order to simultaneously cope with an emergency such as that represented by the Sars-CoV-2 virus, which risks causing a drop in stocks in the country and those for the thousands of people injured in the tragic explosion of the Last August 4 that devastated the port area of Beirut. These are the reasons that prompted the "blue helmets" of the Italian contingent to organize an extraordinary collection of blood.
Sentiments of grateful gratitude for the success of the initiative were expressed by the coordinator of the Red Cross for the South of Lebanon, Ali Saad, confirming the historical bond of friendship and closeness existing between Lebanon and Italy. "Today's donation is a spontaneous gesture, an expression of concrete support for the Lebanese population that goes far beyond words", said Ali Saad.
“Blood is essential to save the lives of those who receive it, especially in a period when blood banks are emptying and it is necessary to make up for the shortage of blood products as a real need following the disaster in Beirut. In fact, there are many patients who are transfused every day in Lebanon's hospitals, many of whom are people involved in the frightening explosion that hit the port and several neighboring districts of the capital ".
General Andrea Di Stasio, commander of the Italian contingent of Unifil, instead underlined how the donation of blood represents “One of the many expressions of closeness of the Italian blue helmets towards the Lebanese people, but above all a gesture of true friendship that we have felt in this particular moment of need that is going through the country. Despite the risks associated with Covid-19, we cannot, nor do we want to stop our activities, because this is precisely the moment for us when we must be close to Lebanon and support it to overcome every difficulty together ".
Similar initiatives, coordinated by the military of civil-military cooperation, will in fact be undertaken in the coming weeks with the launch of a program of periodic donations by the "blue helmets" of other nations operating under the Italian command of Unifil.
