Dozens of Palestinian Cancer Patients Arrive in Turkey for Treatment
More than two dozen Palestinian cancer patients, many of them children, arrived in Turkey for treatment in the early hours of Thursday, according to Turkey’s Anadolu news agency. The patients had crossed from Gaza into Egypt before being transported to Turkey for medical care.
Two planes carrying the patients landed at Ankara airport shortly after 00:30 am local time. Meanwhile, Turkey sent a ship loaded with field hospitals, ambulances, and generators to Egypt in order to treat civilians who have fled Israel’s military operation against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
The current conflict between Israel and Hamas has resulted in a devastating toll, with an estimated 1,200 people killed and a further 11,500 people killed, mostly civilians and including thousands of children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said that 27 patients had been flown to Turkey from Egypt, along with 13 companions. He also mentioned that Turkey is awaiting permission from Egypt to open its first field hospital at the Rafah crossing and is aiming to establish a field hospital in Gaza in the near future.
Turkey has a long history of supporting the Palestinian cause and has recently intensified its criticism of Israel’s military actions, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan referring to Israel as “a terror state” that is committing “genocide”.
