Turkish Red Crescent Distributes 3,000 Metric Tons of Food Relief to Gaza via Rafah Border
The Turkish Red Crescent has been a crucial player in providing humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza during the recent conflict. As of late 2024, they are preparing to send their ninth aid shipment to the region, which includes food, medical supplies, and other relief items.
However, the task is not without its challenges. Access and border restrictions, security risks, and the broader siege conditions in Gaza significantly impede the Turkish Red Crescent’s operations. Aid trucks have been blocked at crossings such as the Rafah border, and Israeli military actions have targeted humanitarian infrastructure, including the Palestinian Red Crescent Society's headquarters in Khan Younis, Gaza, resulting in casualties.
The Turkish Red Crescent leader, Fatma Meric Yilmaz, has condemned such attacks, emphasizing that aid workers are not targets and that such attacks are a violation of international law and humanity. Despite these challenges, the Turkish Red Crescent continues to coordinate with other Red Crescent societies, such as the Jordanian Red Crescent, to facilitate aid delivery.
In a recent development, an attack on a Palestinian Red Crescent center in Khan Younis was condemned by Yilmaz, who also expressed deep sorrow over the targeting of Palestinian Red Crescent workers in Gaza. The Turkish Red Crescent has announced the deployment of 165 trucks carrying approximately 3,000 tons of food aid for Gazans through the Rafah crossing. This aid delivery, a coordinated effort between the Turkish Red Crescent and the Egyptian Red Crescent, is one of the largest single humanitarian shipments to enter Gaza in recent months.
Amid escalating concerns over humanitarian worker safety in the territory, aid workers in Gaza are risking their lives to deliver assistance. The Turkish Red Crescent teams are working to ensure the aid reaches Gaza's population as quickly as possible. The aid delivery comes as international organizations struggle to provide adequate assistance to Gaza due to ongoing hostilities and access restrictions.
Yilmaz has reiterated the call for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and the protection of civilians and aid workers. The Turkish Red Crescent has been providing daily hot meals through soup kitchen operations in Gaza since the beginning of the conflict, with food supplies sufficient to meet the monthly nutritional needs of 50,000 people. Despite the challenges, the Turkish Red Crescent remains committed to its mission of providing aid to the people of Gaza.
References:
- Anadolu Agency. (2024, October 15). Turkish Red Crescent to send 9th aid ship to Gaza. Retrieved from https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/turkish-red-crescent-to-send-9th-aid-ship-to-gaza/2076974
- Reuters. (2024, October 20). Turkey's Red Crescent to send aid to Gaza through Rafah crossing. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkeys-red-crescent-send-aid-gaza-through-rafah-crossing-2024-10-20/
- Al Jazeera. (2024, October 21). Turkey condemns Israeli strike on Gaza Red Crescent centre. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/10/21/turkey-condemns-israeli-strike-on-gaza-red-crescent-centre
- Middle East Monitor. (2024, October 22). Israel targets Palestinian Red Crescent centre in Khan Younis. Retrieved from https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/2024/10/22/israel-targets-palestinian-red-crescent-centre-in-khan-younis/
- United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. (2024). Humanitarian Situation in Gaza. Retrieved from https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-gaza
The Turkish Red Crescent, in addition to their ongoing food and medical aid, is now looking to bolster health-and-wellness efforts by incorporating Turkish-developed science in their next aid shipment to Gaza. Despite the risks, Turkish Red Crescent teams are working tirelessly to ensure the delivery of health-and-wellness supplies to Gaza's population, prioritizing the Turkish energy to help address the wider crisis.
