Egyptian Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar (R) receives Turkish Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca (L) in Cairo, Egypt, 15 November 2023. Ministry of Health and Population
Koca was speaking during his visit to Egypt at a joint press conference with Egyptian Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar.
Next, the two officials visited Nasser Hospital in Cairo to check up on Palestinian patients received from Gaza.
Egypt and Turkey are coordinating to provide assistance to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Abdel-Ghaffar said. A Turkish field hospital aid ship arrived at Egypt’s Arish port to help the people of Gaza, he added.
The ship "BESTEKAR", which docked at Arish port on Monday, carried eight fully equipped field hospitals with operating rooms and intensive care units.
It also carried 20 equipped ambulances, 15 power generators, and quantities of medicines and medical supplies.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi directed on Tuesday the provision of 650 tons of food supplies to the Palestinian people as part of Egypt's ongoing role in supporting Gaza at all levels.
Egypt has sent 6,944 tons of aid to Gaza since the onset of the war until 10 November, according to the Egyptian Red Crescent.
On Friday, the Egyptian Red Crescent released an infographic with the countries that provided aid to Gaza, with Egypt leading the list of countries.
On 9 October, Israel declared a "complete siege" on Gaza, with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant saying Palestinians "will be deprived of food, electricity, and fuel."
Palestinians who escaped Israel's ground invasion in northern Gaza are now facing a severe shortage of food and medicine in the southern region.
Koca stressed the need for solidarity in light of the suffering of Gazans, highlighting cooperation efforts with his Egyptian counterpart in this regard.
He added that the meeting between Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is evidence of the good relations between the two countries.
During his visit to Egypt, Koca is planning to visit Arish city to inspect the Palestinian patients there and a number of medical facilities in Egypt.
Both officials will also inspect the medical services provided to the injured Palestinians Egypt received, as well as the delivery of medical aid to the Palestinian side through the Rafah crossing.
Koca announced plans to transport a number of Palestinian patients by air ambulances for treatment in Turkey.
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