Türkiye sends plane to Egypt to evacuate more than 100 patients from Gaza

By Yesim Sert Karaaslan

Türkiye's National Defense Ministry on Monday said that it has sent an aircraft to Egypt to evacuate more than 100 patients from Gaza who will receive treatment in Türkiye.

The move came on a request from the Turkish Health Ministry, a National Defense Ministry statement said.

"An A400M aircraft from the Turkish Air Force has been assigned to evacuate 109 Gazans who will receive treatment in Türkiye," the statement said.

The aircraft that took off from Kayseri, eastern Türkiye, also carries a team of 10 health professionals.

Türkiye has delivered tons of aid equipment, including medicines, medical devices, and ambulances for the people of Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is dire due to Israeli assault since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

Since Israel started bombing Gaza following an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, at least 13,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 9,000 women and children, and more than 30,000 others have been injured, according to the latest official figures by Palestinian authorities.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel's relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.

An Israeli blockade has also cut Gaza off from fuel, electricity and water supplies, and reduced aid deliveries to a small trickle.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.