Wounded Palestinians arrive in Turkey for treatment

10 years ago | Posted in: World | 440 Views

Turkey has evacuated four wounded Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Turkey for treatment and is seeking to transfer 200 others through the air corridor that was established following intense diplomatic efforts.

Four injured people arrived in Ankara early on Monday after being flown in for medical treatment. An air ambulance from the Turkish Health Ministry took off from Tel Aviv and landed in the Turkish capital at 5 a.m. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, his wife, Dr. Sare Davutoğlu, and Health Minister Mehmet Müezzinoğlu greeted the Palestinians, three women and a youth at Ankara Esenboğa Airport. The injured Palestinians were then taken to Ankara Atatürk Research and Training Hospital and Dışkağı Yıldırım Beyazıt Research and Training Hospital by ambulance.

“Our wounded from Gaza have started to come,” Davutoğlu told reporters at the airport, adding that Turkey intends to receive more patients. He wants to help 200 people in the first stage, transporting groups of around 40, after agreeing to the move in talks with Israel and Egypt.

“We will continue to fulfill our human duty,” he said, expressing his wish for a sustainable cease-fire in the region.

Davutoğlu stated that the parties agreed on an air corridor to evacuate wounded Palestinians during the meeting in Paris on July 25 after the intense efforts of the US, Turkey, Qatar and other countries; however, it could not be enforced due to the violations in the announced cease-fires. He reported that following the announcement of the latest cease-fire, Turkey had close contacts with all the parties, including Israel and Egypt.

The first four wounded arrived a day after Israel and the Palestinians agreed on a fresh 72-hour cease-fire and an intense series of phone calls between Davutoğlu and his counterparts in the US and Qatar as well as Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal about Gaza.

Osama al-Najar, spokesman of the Ministry of Health in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, said another 60 wounded would be flown into Turkey later on Monday.

The Palestinian Authority had helped organize the transfer of the wounded from Gaza to Israel and then to Turkey, he added…. see more

source: todayszaman

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