Turkey, Egypt and Israel have joined forces to create a joint health coordination team, an initiative aimed at facilitating the transfer of patients from Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, the only route out of the region not controlled by Israel…
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca made the announcement yesterday.
He said that Turkish and Egyptian medical personnel would work together to provide treatment for patients from Gaza.
The move, according to him, is in response to the recent Israeli airstrike on a Turkish-operayed hospital in Palestine, which primarily cater to cancer patients, especially children.
Koca specified that the initial phase of the operation would involve transferring these patients from the Rafah gate to Egypt’s El Sheikh Zayed and El Arish hospitals, while in the subsequent stage, patients in stable condition will be transported to Turkey via air ambulances.
The minister also disclosed plans for a joint visit with his Egyptian counterpart, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, and Israeli Health Minister, Uriel Buso, to the affected children.
In a related development, Koca revealed that the necessary permits for shipping 51 containers of medical supplies totalling around 500 tons and 20 fully-equipped ambulances and generators, which are expected to arrive at Egypt’s El Arish port today, had been obtained.
He said these facilities, designed to withstand all climatic conditions, will be deployed in Gaza or at points nearest to the Egyptian border.
This initiative builds on deliveries by Turkey, which dispatched eight cargo planes carrying medicines, medical supplies, equipment and generators to the El Arish airport for onward delivery to Gaza.
By xamse
November 11, 2023
