Muslim worshippers at three mosques in Oxford have collected £9,000 to buy an ambulance to help people in Gaza.

Over the past fortnight, about 2,500 people attending the city’s three main mosques have given donations to pay for the £4,000 ambulance.

The Mercedes Sprinter, bought in Scotland, will form part of a convoy leaving for the Palestinian territory from Westminster, in London, on Saturday.

The aid effort was organised in response to the recent conflict between Israel and Palestine, which left hundreds of people from Gaza dead.

Worshippers from the mosques in Manzil Way, Stanley Road and Cowley Road, have all contributed to the fund.

Saj Malik, a city councillor for Cowley Marsh, who helped to co-ordinate the fundraising, said: “This is an excellent community project and shows just what you can achieve when people work together.”

Riaz Ahmed, chairman of the Muslim Council of Oxford, praised those who contributed to the fund for the ambulance, which will be driven to Gaza containing medical supplies.

He said: “The acquisition of this ambulance is the clearest evidence of the empathy felt by Muslims in Oxford for the people of Palestine and the people of Gaza in particular.

“I congratulate all three mosques and their management committees, and I would like to thank all the Muslims for coming together to make this possible.”

Mr Ahmed said the people of Gaza had been living through a nightmare during the conflict with Israel, and added: “War is never pleasant and ultimately it’s members of the public who pay the price.

“The destruction that has taken place is awful and everyone is hoping for a peaceful solution.

“People from the mosques responded very well to the appeal and the money came together very quickly.”

Mr Malik said £1,000 had been spent to ensure that the ambulance was roadworthy for its journey.

Remaining funds were being spent on insuring the vehicle and buying medical equipment and medical supplies to replenish stocks in Gaza that fell critically low as medical services struggled to cope with the high number of casualties during the fighting.

He added: “We wanted to do something to help the people of Gaza and the ambulance will go direct to a hospital in the area.

“This collection has been a great success and shows how well people can work together in such a short space of time.”

By Andrew Ffrench