Turkey to deliver aid to Gaza before eid festival

By Dildar Baykan

ANKARA

Turkey will deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza just before the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement late Monday.

"Turkey with its people and institutions will continue to support the Palestinian state and people," according to the statement

The aid convoy, aimed at offering relief to Gazans suffering from an Israeli blockade, is expected to arrive in Gaza in the coming days and before the festival of Eid al-Fitr that marks the end of Ramadan.

The Turkish ministry also said it would provide $10 million to the Palestinian government.

The Turkish Red Crescent, in cooperation with its Palestinian counterpart, has already delivered 15,000 packages of food and clothing to thousands of residents in Gaza.

Other charity organizations and groups have also donated to Gazans during Ramadan.

Since 2007, Gaza’s roughly 2 million residents have suffered under a crippling Israeli blockade that has deprived them of many basic commodities, including food, fuel, medicine and building materials.