ISTANBUL

A company in Northern Ireland donated a day’s worth of revenue to Oxfam Ireland's Gaza emergency appeal, public broadcaster RTE reported Tuesday.

Rug retailer Kukoon in Newry donated £180,000 ($242,824) to Oxfam Ireland's Gaza emergency appeal after launching a social media campaign with an initial target of £40,000.

"This sends a message of hope that despite all the darkness we see, the hope that can be transferred through people being active in this part of the world, doing something that's practical, that's useful, and that can have that kind of impact is such a positive thing to take from this extraordinary event," Oxfam Ireland CEO Jim Clarken said during his visit to Kukoon’s headquarters.

He noted it was the first time a company offered to donate an entire day's revenue, underlining the "amazing" scale of the donation.

"We need to see a ceasefire, we need to see humanitarian access so that the work can be scaled up to a level that really gives the people of Gaza what they need," Clarken added.

Describing the day as "unique," Clarken voiced hope that the company would inspire others.

"We were concerned about using Kukoon, the business, and speaking up publicly around it, there were concerns about the public reaction and our retail partnerships, but we decided it was the right thing to do and we pushed those concerns to the side," said Clare Walsh, one of the founders' Kukoon, along with her brother Paul Vallely.