Second group of cancer patients from Palestine arrives in Türkiye

Another 61 patients and 49 companions from the besieged Gaza arrived in Türkiye for treatment.

The 110 passengers and 10 health personnel landed in the capital Ankara on a Turkish A400M military transport plane on Monday after departing from El Arish International Airport in Egypt.

After touching down aboard the National Defense Ministry plane at Etimesgut Military Airport at 3.10 p.m. local time (1210 GMT), they were transferred to the Bilkent City Hospital and Etlik City Hospital by waiting ambulances.

Last week, 27 patients and 13 companions from the besieged city were brought to Türkiye for treatment on aircraft of the Turkish Presidency and the National Defence Ministry. They were taken to Bilkent City Hospital.

Since Israel started bombarding Gaza on October 7, 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 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 diagnosis and treatment of the first group of cancer patients

The diagnoses of the 27 patients from Gaza who were brought to Türkiye have been confirmed, and their treatments are ongoing, Turkish Health Minister, Fahrettin Koca, wrote on X on Saturday.

"Out of the patients, 26 have been diagnosed with cancer. Among them are 12 women, and two individuals are under the age of 18. A soft tissue cancer was identified in one of the patients under 18, while the other was found to have a genetic blood disorder," Koca expressed on Saturday.

"Among our adult patients, 8 have been diagnosed with breast cancer, 4 with advanced-stage lung cancer, 3 with soft tissue cancer, 2 with colon cancer, 1 with bile duct cancer, 1 with bladder cancer, 1 with kidney cancer, 1 with stomach cancer, 1 with lymphoma, 1 with leukemia, 1 with skin cancer, and 1 with brain cancer," he explained.

As the examination and treatment processes for the patients from Gaza are continuing at Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, he ensures that the expert doctors are carrying out these processes.

The departure of the first 27 patients from the besieged enclave

The cancer patients and their escorts departed for a military airport in northeastern Egypt for treatment in Türkiye on Wednesday.

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

He then visited the Nasr Institute Hospital to see the wounded people brought from Gaza and was briefed about their health conditions.

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

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.