Türkiye ready to send hospital ship, set up field hospitals in Gaza: Health minister

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) – In the wake of the Israeli airstrike of a hospital late Tuesday, killing hundreds, Türkiye is ready to send a ship hospital or set up field hospitals to serve the people of Gaza, the Turkish health minister said.

On X, Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday that he had spoken with international representatives and senior officials from the World Health Organization to address Israel's recent hospital attack in Gaza, stressing that it is “unacceptable for facilities serving human health to be attacked, under any circumstances and for any reason.”

He wrote in English that Türkiye is “ready to send a Ship Hospital to the region or to establish Field Hospitals in Gaza or at points close to the Rafah Border Gate (into Egypt), to provide health services to our Palestinian brothers and sisters through them.”

“During my call with WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Kluge, I have stated that it is urgent and essential to support the region in terms of health services. We are ready to act together with WHO if it decides to carry out these works,” he said.

Stressing that the WHO “has a historical responsibility to this end,” Koca said his ideas and suggestions were welcomed by WHO Eastern Mediterranean Director Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari, and in consultation with WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, “we have decided to immediately initiate the cooperation process between my country and the WHO.”

He said that Türkiye is prepared to help babies, children, the elderly, and innocents in the region “despite all kinds of diplomatic difficulties.”

Since last week, when it imposed a “total siege” on Gaza, Israel has turned back offers of aid from both international nongovernmental organizations and concerned governments, leaving millions of Palestinians without supplies of water, food, or electricity, and with medical supplies running low.

Kluge, for his part, responded on X: “Sincere thanks to @DrFahrettinKoca & the Turkiye Ministry of Health for their partnership at this crucial time. WHO & humanitarian partners are working to reach necessary medical & other supplies to facilities & patients in need, for which safe access is

More than 500 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza on Tuesday, Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told Anadolu.

Footage on social media showed corpses scattered across the hospital grounds.

Thousands of Palestinians, including women and children, were at the hospital when the building came under bombardment, according to an Anadolu reporter.​​​​​​​