By Muhammed Nuri Erdogan
ANKARA (AA) – A Turkish ship carrying humanitarian aid for people in Gaza arrived in Egypt's Al-Arish port on Saturday.
This was Türkiye's 8th humanitarian aid ship for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, with 125,000 food packages sent by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and General Directorate of Foundations via the vessel SARDES.
The ship was welcomed at Al-Arish port by AFAD President Okay Memis and the on-duty team.
The materials will be transported to Gaza via aid trucks from the Rafah border crossing.
Türkiye has sent 13 cargo planes and eight ships, including this one, carrying humanitarian aid materials to Gazans.
AFAD said in a statement: "We continue to extend our nation's hand of mercy and compassion to all corners of the world, remaining the hope of the oppressed and persecuted. For our people, we are within our borders, but for humanity, we are behind them."
Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed.
More than 32,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, in addition to mass destruction, displacement and famine conditions.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul