Türkiye sending most aid to Gaza: President Erdogan

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye is leading the world in aid sent to Gaza, the country's president said Monday.

So far, 50,000 tons of humanitarian aid has been sent to the besieged enclave where Israel's onslaught continues, said Recep Tayyip Erdogan at an event in the Turkish capital Ankara.

"Türkiye has reached the position of the country sending the most aid to Gaza in the world with a total of 50,000 tons of humanitarian aid sent so far,” he said.

Erdogan also added that Türkiye, along with its government, citizens, and NGOs, stands out as "one of the nations" that has "most effectively" navigated the challenges concerning Gaza.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a cross-border attack on Oct. 7 last year 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 there.