The Turkish Red Crescent Thursday lamented the obstruction of humanitarian aid delivery to 2.3 million Gazans in the wake of the Israeli attack on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital that claimed 471 lives.
“We are ready to deliver direly needed humanitarian aid to the blockaded city but Gaza is completely destroyed to the point no nongovernmental organization could meet this urgent need by itself,” the agency’s General Director Ibrahim Altan told reporters in Istanbul at an aid campaign for Palestine.
The Turkish Red Crescent, a member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), has 19 delegations around the world.
“Gaza is right next to us but we are unable to help millions of civilians there, which is devastating for us,” Altan said.
The situation has become direr after Israel bombed Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital and cut off access to electricity, water, food and fuel in Gaza, he said.
“If people won’t die of bombing, they will die of a lack of medical help and we don’t want to watch this happen,” he added.
Calling on the international community to show “the strongest possible reaction” to Israeli attacks on civilians, he said: “If we don’t condemn this, it won’t be possible to protect civilians in any conflict.”
Stressing the universal principle of protecting civilians during times of war, Altan reiterated Türkiye’s call for the immediate opening of a humanitarian aid corridor to Gaza and urged philanthropists everywhere to increase their support.
Türkiye already sent three cargo planes loaded with humanitarian aid to Egypt, for aid delivery to Gaza through the Rafah border crossing, which Israel has pounded on.
An Israeli spokesperson on Thursday said aid deliveries from the Egyptian side into Gaza would begin “soon” but did not specify a date.
Trucks carrying hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid have been parked near the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, awaiting a green signal from Israel.
"Israel does not oppose this, but it must make sure that this aid will not be stolen by Hamas," Ofir Gendelman, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Anadolu Agency (AA).
The conflict in Gaza, under Israeli bombardment and blockade since Oct. 7, began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea and air.
It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
Gaza is experiencing a dire humanitarian crisis, with no electricity, while water, food, fuel, and medical supplies are running out.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an "immediate humanitarian cease-fire" to ease the "epic human suffering."
At least 3,478 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, while the figure stands at over 1,400 people in Israel.
