Türkiye set to receive 26 Gazan patients, says health minister

By Gozde Bayar and Emre Basaran

ANKARA/ISTANBUL (AA) – A total of 26 Gazan patients and their 13 attendants who passed through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, will be brought to Türkiye this evening, the Turkish health minister said Wednesday.

Fahrettin Koca told reporters that the patients being sent to Türkiye from Gaza will be the first Gazans to travel from Egypt to another country for treatment.

Last week, Koca held phone calls with his Israeli and Egyptian counterparts for the transfer of patients in the besieged Palestinian enclave through the Rafah border crossing.

A coordination team was thus formed, with contact persons from Türkiye, Egypt, and Israel.

Türkiye has delivered tons of aid equipment, including medicines, medical devices, and ambulances for the people of Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is dire due to Israeli assault since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

As the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip entered its 40th day, at least 11,320 Palestinians have been killed, including over 7,800 women and children, and more than 29,200 others have been injured, according to the latest figures from Palestinian authorities.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel's relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave since last month.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.