Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) secretary-general Ali bin Hassan al-Hammadi has received ambassador Farah Berri, charge d'affaires at the Lebanese embassy in Doha.

The meeting was attended by Ibrahim Abdullah al-Maliki, QRCS chief executive director; Dr Fawzi Oussedik, head of International Relations and International Humanitarian Law; and Subhi Fahad al-Ejjeh, acting head of Relief and Disaster Management.

During the meeting, the latest updates on the post-explosion situation in Beirut were discussed along with QRCS’s response to the disaster by providing immediate relief aid for the victims, with a "longer-term and larger-scale recovery plan under way", according to a press statement.

Al-Hammadi said, “We are there for the friendly Lebanese people.

We trust Lebanon’s ability to get over the tragedy.

We are working hard to repair the damage and help alleviate the impact of the disaster through both humanitarian assistance and a relief delegation to distribute food, shelter kits and medical supplies for the affected families”.He told the guest that QRCS took action from Day 1 through its representation mission in Lebanon, which has been active for seven years.

A relief delegation from Doha was deployed to support the mission in the humanitarian intervention in partnership with the Lebanese Red Cross and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Berri commended QRCS’s extensive efforts to respond to the disaster, which left behind a large number of casualties and thousands of homeless families and destroyed buildings.“This brotherly position from the government and people of Qatar reflects the strong relations between the two countries,” she said.

She described QRCS’s response as “very honourable”.“The 'Lebanon in Our Hearts' campaign was a perfect example of solidarity from Qatar’s leaders, institutions and individuals with the people of Lebanon in the face of such an unprecedented calamity,” she added, promising to provide all facilities for QRCS’s relief operations in Beirut.