1st international medical mission set to reach Istanbul for Gaza aid

By Necva Tastan

ISTANBUL (AA) – The first international medical mission coming from the UK is set to reach Istanbul on Friday to receive humanitarian aid for Gaza.

The team consists of 10 ambulances and paramedics.

They embarked on a four-day journey from London with 50 ambulances, but only 10 were allowed to continue from France.

It is expected to reach Egypt by ship from Istanbul.

The team gathered after the call for ambulances from Türkiye-based “Verenel Association” and Global Family Aid.

The associations’ ambulances, in general, purchased from Egypt, are delivered to the Rafah border gate under the coordination of the Egyptian Red Crescent, it said on X.

The ambulances are aimed to be carried across the border and delivered to hospitals in Palestine.

Israel launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has soared to 14,854, the government media office in the blockaded enclave said on Thursday.

The victims include 6,150 children and over 4,000 women, while more than 36,000 people have been injured, it said.

Around 7,000 people remain unaccounted for, including more than 4,700 children, it added.

The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.