2023-11-15 19:23:03
Turkish medical personnel are working to transfer 26 cancer patients from the Gaza Strip to Turkey in order to receive treatment in hospitals there, according to what the Minister of Health, Fakhr al-Din Koca, announced on Wednesday.
Koca arrived in Egypt today, and said in a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, that “26 patients, in addition to 13 of their companions, are scheduled to be transferred to Turkey this evening.”
During the past hours, patients crossed from the Rafah border crossing towards Sheikh Zuweid and Al-Arish hospitals in Egypt, and Koca added that the second phase will begin, on Wednesday evening, with their transfer to Turkish hospitals.
“For the first time, these patients will be from Gaza and will be sent to another country to receive treatment,” according to the Turkish minister.
He pointed out, on the other hand, that he agreed with his Egyptian counterpart during the bilateral meeting to “exchange experiences and knowledge and close cooperation in all health fields.”
In response to a question about the possibility of holding talks with the Israeli Minister of Health (Nitzan Horowitz) regarding the transfer of patients, he responded by saying: “We previously discussed the matter with the Israeli Ministry of Health and we coordinated with them. There are technical teams from the three countries (Turkey, Egypt, and Israel) and work continues intensively.”
The above comes after two days ago, a Turkish aid ship carrying field hospitals and aid for the Gaza Strip arrived at the port of Al-Arish in Egypt, which is close to the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip.
A Turkish official added to Agence France-Presse on Monday that Ankara requested the approval of the Egyptian authorities to establish these hospitals in Al-Arish, which is 40 kilometers from the Rafah crossing.
He explained that the Egyptian authorities “have already given us the green light and we will establish hospitals in the places they have identified for us.”
Minister Koca referred to this by saying during the press conference on Wednesday that “there is tripartite coordination on this,” referring to Egypt and Israel.
Quja said, “The goal is to establish hospitals in Gaza, and if necessary, they will also be established in the area near the Rafah border gate. The coordination process is evaluating this matter, and we are ready whenever the need arises.”
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