Turkey's 4th humanitarian aid shipment heads to Gaza

Turkey is sending a ship with over 2,300 tons of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, set to distribute the supplies via Egypt. The shipment includes 2,334 tons of essentials such as flour, pasta, water, tomato paste, sugar, tents, blankets, and hygiene materials. Coordinated by the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) and the Mersin Governorship, the aid was prepared in collaboration with 29 NGOs.

Docked at Mersin International Port in southern Turkey, the "Bestekar" ship is loaded with a fleet of 109 trucks. Cenk Yildiz, head of AFAD’s Mersin province, underscored Turkey's commitment to Palestine: "We are always standing by them."

This aid effort responds to the escalating crisis in Gaza following the October 7 cross-border attack by Hamas, which led to extensive casualties. Gaza’s health authorities report over 22,313 Palestinian casualties, mostly women and children, and 57,296 injuries. The attack also resulted in approximately 1,200 Israeli fatalities.

The ongoing conflict has displaced over 2.2 million people in Gaza, leaving them in dire need of food and necessities. The ship will first make port at Egypt's Al-Arish before delivering the aid to Palestine.