(AKI) - Countries throughout the Middle East have reacted quickly to Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip by pledging to send aid to the war-torn territory. Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan on Monday sent food and medical supplies after the Israeli attacks that killed 310 people and injured over 1,400.Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud has pledged air ambulances to transfer injured Palestinians in Gaza to Saudi hospitals via Medical Evacuation planes or Medevac. The planes left the Riyadh Air Base bound for the Egyptian airport in el-Arish, near Gaza.
Jordan sent food and medical supplies while the United Arab Emirates' President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan ordered the delivery of urgent aid to Gaza.
Turkey's Kizilay or Red Crescent organisation sent ten truckloads of food to the region as well as 15 ambulances.
Iran sent planes of food and medicine to the Egyptian capital on Sunday, while protests against the raids were held in the capital Tehran on Monday.
Thousands of people gathered at Palestine Square in central Tehran and shouted anti-Israeli slogans.
Meanwhile in Indonesia - the world's largest Muslim country - police on Monday arrested 12 protesters at a demonstration against Israel's action in the capital Jakarta. "We're deeply concerned. Israel has launched an inhumane act at a time when others are supposed to be celebrating the new year," said Sjaeful Akbar, the rally coordinator, quoted by Indonesian daily The Jakarta Post.
Palestinian residents in the emirate of Dubai also held protests, while in Egypt over 50,000 protesters took to the streets in a dozen cities. Protests were also held in Morocco, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, London, Spain and France.