A cargo plane carrying crucial medical supplies for the fight against COVID-19 pandemic will depart Turkey for Palestine late Thursday, presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın said.
“The medical supplies that will be sent to Palestine upon the orders of our President are departing tonight. Masks, protective suits, test kits, disinfectants and other materials will be distributed to our Palestinian siblings in the West Bank and Gaza,” Kalın said on Twitter.
He noted that Turkey prioritizes solidarity with other countries during times of crisis.
“Our principle is to make sure that humanity prevails to ensure humans don’t die,” Kalın said.
Some 20,000 test kits, 50,000 N95 masks, 20,000 protective suits, 50,000 gloves, 10,000 goggles, 1,000 liters of disinfectant, 1,000 nebulizers and two PCR machines will be sent in the shipment, according to the Turkish Presidency.
For Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank, fighting the coronavirus outbreak is a serious and challenging matter, even if the Palestinian Authority (PA) officials follow the instructions of the World Health Organization (WHO) closely. Years of occupation have crippled the Palestinian economy and stripped Palestinians of a functioning health care system.
While all Palestinians live under Israel’s military occupation, the situation in the Gaza Strip is particularly complex and extremely worrying.
Gaza, which is enduring its 13th year of Israeli siege and is still reeling under massive destruction from several Israeli wars, has already been declared “uninhabitable” by the U.N.
However, the misery of Gaza never ceases to increase. Not a single U.N. report on Gaza’s ailing medical facilities or preparedness for at least the last 10 years has used any positive or even hopeful language.
Israel's long blockade on Gaza has devastated daily life for ordinary Palestinians, with 70% of the enclave's youth unemployed and the health care system near collapse.
