The ninth Goodness ship that left Turkey with 3,774 tonnes of humanitarian aid for millions of suffering Palestinians in the Gaza Strip has arrived at the Egyptian port of Al-Arish.
Leaving the southern Turkish port of Mersin on Tuesday, the ship, loaded with food, baby supplies, sleeping bags and flour provided by the Turkish Red Crescent, reached Al-Arish after a 55-hour sea journey. The ship entered the port in the morning accompanied by a pilot captain.
Relief materials will be offloaded at the port and transported at the Rafah border crossing into the Gaza Strip by lorry. And once customs procedures are completed, the materials will be handed over to the Palestinian Red Crescent, which will then distribute the aid to the needy in Gaza.
Cairo Salih Mutlu Sen, Turkey’s ambassador in Cairo, told reporters that the cargo could be quickly loaded and unloaded from the ship:
Our ninth ship that arrived here broke a record, carrying 3,774 tons of aid material. This is such a big number that when I was talking to my US, British, and German ambassador colleagues in Cairo, they did a double-take when I said “a ship of 3,000 tons is coming here and I’ll go to welcome it.” They weren’t sure because what they’re used to is usually 30-50 tons, which is how much an airplane can carry.
He said they are coordinating with the Turkish Red Crescent and AFAD, and emphasised that Türkiye intends to send at least one aid ship to Gaza every fortnight in light of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry’s statement about the number of trucks entering Gaza and the depletion of gas reserves:
So Türkiye is really leading the world league in terms of humanitarian aid. This stems from the generosity, charity, and benevolence of the Turkish nation, our people, and the effective and sincere mobilisation of organizations such as the Turkish Red Crescent, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and our non-governmental organizations for the people of Gaza.
Sen said that since Al-Arish is only 25-30 kilometres (12-18 miles) from the Rafah gate, aid is being delivered quickly, and expressed hope that “aid will continue to enter in the most effective, fastest way”:
Our hope is that our aid will continue to enter in the most effective and fastest way because at the moment, the number of trucks at the Rafah gate has reached 500, which is pretty good. We hope that the number of trucks will increase a little more and that we will send aid through, that the whole world will, that they will take Türkiye as an example, that they will compete in charity.
He also emphasised the importance of aid coordination and said that Egyptian authorities and the world community value Turkey’s contribution:
We’re doing this in coordination with the Egyptian Red Crescent, the Foreign Ministry, security officials, all of them. It’s no easy task, but our authorities have established such a good working system with their counterparts that it works very well when the purpose is pure.
Expressing gratitude to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, security officials and the Egyptian Red Crescent for their co-operation in the delivery of humanitarian supplies and the issue of the Gaza ceasefire, Sen emphasised:
In the final analysis, the munificence, charity and generosity of the Turkish people and their commitment to Gaza, to the victimised and innocent Palestinian people and their sensitivity towards them are above all kinds of appreciation.
He said that Israel is obliged under international law to open the way for humanitarian aid materials and deliver them, saying that humanitarian aid and war are separate issues. Sen also said that from now on, the Turkish Red Crescent and AFAD entrust these goods to the custody of the Egyptian Red Crescent and deliver them by lorry to the Rafah border:
Security checks are carried out here by the Israeli officials. As a result of coordination, the trucks are delivered to the UNRWA, the Palestinian Red Crescent and the authorities on the Palestinian side. Since this place is very close and we always bring them to al-Arish, they are transferred to Gaza within one to three days, as soon as possible. There should be no doubt about this.
Despite comprehensive attempts to help the Palestinian population, Israeli forces have raided the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank’s Tulkarem for the second day, killing at least five people, including a teenager.
The Israel-Hamas war has been going on since 7 October 2023, when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 Israelis and taking some 240 hostages. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel responded to the attack with a counter-offensive that killed nearly 34,000 people in the Gaza Strip.
