Ship carrying over 5,000 tons of humanitarian aid for Gaza sets sail from Türkiye

By Serkan Avci and Yakup Saglam

MERSIN, Türkiye (AA) — A ship carrying humanitarian aid destined for the Gaza Strip set sail from southern Türkiye on Sunday for the Palestinian enclave.

A total of 5,066 tons of aid, including food, baby care products, sleeping bags, and gluten-free goods, were loaded onto the ship at Mersin International Port under the guidance of the Turkish Red Crescent.

Speaking at the farewell ceremony for the "11th Goodness Ship," Turkish Red Crescent Deputy Chairman Ramazan Saygili said the organization would send another vessel to Gaza in the future.

"We are sending the largest tonnage ship we have ever sailed ... Türkiye's aid operation will continue until the last Gazan returns to their home and finds peace," Saygili added.

The ship is expected to be at sea for about two days as it sails to Egypt's Al-Arish Port, from which its contents will be transferred to nearby Gaza.

Israel has waged a military offensive on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a cross-border attack led by Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people.

Nearly 34,700 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and 78,000 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Nearly seven months into the Israeli war, 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 UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar