Cancer patients evacuated from Gaza heading to Türkiye for treatment

Several cancer patients evacuated from Gaza and their escorts departed for a military airport in northeastern Egypt to be transported to Türkiye for treatment.

A total of 26 Palestinian patients and their 13 attendants from Gaza who passed through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, will be brought to Türkiye this evening, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said Wednesday.

Koca arrived in the Egyptian capital earlier on Wednesday and was received by his Egyptian counterpart Khaled Abdel Ghaffar and other officials.

As part of his trip, Koca visited the Nasr Institute Hospital to see the wounded people brought from Gaza and was briefed about their health conditions.

Both ministers chatted with patients and the wounded people and conveyed their get-well wishes.

Following the meeting, Turkish doctors met the group at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the blockaded Palestinian enclave, pummeled by Israeli attacks for 40 days, to be taken to Al Arish military airport on ambulances.

'Delivering aid to all Gazans'

Fahrettin Koca told reporters at the El Arish International Airport in Egypt that Ankara will transfer the patients, especially child patients with cancer, to Türkiye this Wednesday.

He said the patients sent to Türkiye from Gaza would be the first Palestinians to travel from Egypt to another country for treatment.

Koca said appropriate patients’ passage through the Rafah Border Gate is ensured, as he underlined that there is a tripartite coordination team involving Egypt, Türkiye and Israel.

"Our desire is to be able to deliver this aid to all Gazans and Palestinians who need treatment. For this reason, Türkiye is ready to provide all kinds of assistance,” he said.

Noting that there are nearly 1,000 patients with cancer in Gaza, he said teams are trying to bring as many patients to Türkiye as possible by keeping communication strong.

Koca said Türkiye sent nearly 660 tons of medicine, medical supplies and medical devices, 20 ambulances and eight field hospitals to Gaza in 10 planes and one ship.

Coordination Efforts

Last week, Koca held phone calls with his Israeli and Egyptian counterparts for the transfer of patients in the besieged Palestinian enclave through the Rafah border crossing.

A coordination team was thus formed, with contact persons from Türkiye, Egypt and Israel.

Türkiye has delivered tons of aid equipment, including medicine, medical devices, ambulances and medical supplies, for the people of Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is dire due to Israel's relentless assault since the October 7 attack by Hamas.