73-member Palestinian team heads to Türkiye, Syria for quake relief

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – A 73-member Palestinian team departed for Türkiye and Syria on Thursday to help out in ongoing quake relief efforts.

The team, which includes rescuers, doctors, and first-aid providers from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, will split into two groups, with one heading to Türkiye and the other to Syria.

“Palestine stands ready to use all its available means to help the brothers in Türkiye and Syria,” Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said in a ceremony before the team’s departure.

The Palestinian personnel will be particularly helpful in response missions as they include experts in rescue operations, Imad al-Zuhairi, head of the Palestinian International Cooperation Agency, told Anadolu.

More than 14,300 people have been killed and over 63,700 injured after two strong earthquakes jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, according to latest official figures.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, have impacted some 13 million people across 10 Turkish provinces.

In neighboring Syria, the death toll has climbed to at least 3,150, with more than 5,200 people wounded.

​​​​​​​* Writing by Ahmed Asmar