Some 1,900 tons of humanitarian aid, from food to hygiene kits and accommodation material, will be delivered to the Palestinian enclave of Gaza soon, thanks to a campaign by Qatar and Türkiye, two close allies in the region.
A ship carrying aid left Mersin in southern Türkiye on Wednesday. The expedition, organized by Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and the Qatar Fund for Development, is loaded with aid collected by nongovernmental organizations and the Health Ministry. This is the 11th aid ship organized by the AFAD.
Türkiye mobilized for humanitarian aid for Gaza after a new round of conflict erupted in the besieged enclave broke out last October. The AFAD, the Health Ministry, the Turkish Red Crescent and members of civic society organized campaigns to help Palestinians fleeing Israel’s atrocities. So far, 14 planes and 10 vessels carrying aid have been dispatched to Palestine from Türkiye. The amount of aid from Türkiye to Gaza, including the air bridges and acquisition of aid from local sources in the region, reached more than 52,000 tons.
The country also cooperates with the Egyptian Red Crescent to supply bottled water to Gazans. So far, 1,735 tons of water have been delivered to the enclave through Egypt.
The ship is expected to arrive in Egypt’s Al-Arish port on Friday.
About 34,800 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and 78,100 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Nearly seven months into the Israeli onslaught, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave's population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the U.N.
Approximately 1.1 million people, half of Gaza's population, are facing catastrophic levels of hunger due to the prolonged conflict.
According to the World Food Programme (WFP), the situation has reached the most severe level of food insecurity, meaning food resources and the capacity to cope with hunger are completely depleted.
Malnutrition among children, especially those under 2 years old, has reached record levels, with one in three suffering from acute malnutrition. The situation is deteriorating rapidly, particularly in the northern regions where approximately 300,000 people live, with an increasing risk of famine.
The Turkish Red Crescent, in collaboration with the AFAD, has spearheaded the Palestine Humanitarian Aid Operation. Before the Oct. 7 conflict began, nearly 500 trucks of basic consumption goods entered Gaza daily, but the number has since dropped to an average of 100 trucks, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
Israel seized control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing to Egypt on Monday.
"This closure will undoubtedly lead to increased hunger and scarcity. At the Turkish Red Crescent, we are deeply saddened and concerned by these developments. We reiterate our call for a permanent cease-fire and insist that safe corridors for humanitarian aid must not be closed under any circumstances," Turkish Red Crescent Chairperson Fatma Meriç Yılmaz said on Tuesday. She revealed the aid agency has been in contact with its regional partners, including the Egyptian Red Crescent and Palestinian Red Crescent Societies, to explore alternative routes for delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza.
"It is crucial that the northern border crossings in Gaza are opened to more humanitarian aid as soon as possible. We reiterate our call for a permanent cease-fire and continuous humanitarian efforts," Yılmaz stated.
