Over 300 Turkish citizens await evacuation from Gaza

ANKARA

Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Yıldız has disclosed that 322 Turkish citizens are among the approximately 700 individuals awaiting evacuation to Türkiye in the Gaza Strip, as tensions continue to escalate between Hamas and Israel.

The group awaiting evacuation also include 104 Turkish Cypriot citizens and 214 relatives of Turkish citizens, Yıldız said during a briefing to the parliament's foreign commission on Oct. 19.

Among these individuals are those who are married to Palestinians and those employed by state media or the Health Ministry.

Efforts are underway to provide medical treatment to the injured in Gaza, with preparations either in Türkiye or the establishment of a hospital within the region, Yıldız informed the commission.

Furthermore, he outlined Türkiye's humanitarian aid efforts in the region. Currently, parcels containing 5,000 blankets, around 3,000 food parcels and 20,000 medical supplies have been delivered to Egypt's Rafah border gate, where they are being stored in cooperation with Egyptian authorities, Yıldız elaborated. The border gate is the sole passage in and out of the Gaza Strip not controlled by Israel.

Türkiye is also in the process of preparing to send aid by ship, according to Yıldız.

In response to a recent tragic hospital strike in Gaza, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca had declared plans to provide urgent health services to the region. This includes the possibility of dispatching a ship hospital or establishing field hospitals near Gaza and the Rafah border gate to ensure essential health services are available.

Yıldız further noted that Türkiye maintains contact with Hamas, citing previous efforts to bring the Palestinian administration and Hamas together. The deputy minister argued that these contacts are with the political wing of Hamas.

The Israeli government's press office updated the number of Turkish citizens who lost their lives in Hamas attacks to three on Oct. 17.

Turkish officials previously confirmed the death of a Turkish citizen with dual nationality following Israeli office’s Oct. 11 statement but have yet to comment on the new update.

Ovi Gülerşen, head of the Union of Turkish People in Israel, had previously reported details about one Turkish citizen who lost his life during the conflict near the Gaza border. The victim, 53-year-old Avraam Avi Zakuto, a father of two, was killed in his home by Hamas militants, he informed.