Türkiye evacuates over a thousand from Gaza, spokesperson reveals

ANKARA

Türkiye has evacuated 1,047 people, including Turkish and Turkish Cypriot citizens, and their relatives from war-torn Gaza since the commencement of Israeli attacks on Oct. 8, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

The evacuees, who arrived at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, were received by Turkish diplomats before being transported by land to Cairo and subsequently by air to Istanbul, as revealed by Öncü Keçeli in an X post on Dec. 13.

Keçeli emphasized that the list of citizens awaiting evacuation is continuously updated.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced the transfer of an additional 68 patients from Gaza to Türkiye. Among these patients, 37 were infants and children, and four were battling cancer.

The patients, along with 61 accompanying persons, were flown from Egypt's El Arish airport to the capital Ankara's Etimesgut airport, where they were welcomed by Koca.

Expressing his concern for their well-being, Koca personally met with the patients, many of whom were children, and conversed with the medical staff before escorting them to awaiting ambulances.

This recent evacuation marks the fifth group of patients brought to Türkiye from Gaza, bringing the total number of patients to 182 and the accompanying persons to 359.

Koca earlier reported that two patients from earlier groups had succumbed to their conditions, and two of the six currently in intensive care are in serious condition.

Addressing the deteriorating healthcare situation in Gaza, Koca warned of the challenges ahead. "We have entered a period where health services in Gaza are becoming more and more unavailable with each passing day. Therefore, the transfer of patients may be more in the next period," he stated.

The minister affirmed that a trilateral coordination team previously established by Türkiye, Israel and Egypt is closely monitoring the efforts to ensure effective coordination in the humanitarian mission.

The patients evacuated primarily include those with blood diseases and oncology cases, a significant number of whom were initially treated in a Turkish-run cancer hospital in Gaza, which was targeted by Israeli forces on Oct. 30.

Koca also disclosed that the location for a field hospital near the Rafah gate has received approval from both Egypt and Israel, with preparations already underway.