ISTANBUL

Numerous aid foundations and associations in Türkiye have been regularly sending aid to Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, when Israel launched its attacks that triggered a deepening humanitarian crisis in the region.

The shipments include food, clothing, shelters and health supplies, as well as hygiene kits, medicines, medical equipment, and baby products.

At the forefront of these relief efforts are initiatives aimed at tackling the worsening food crisis, with aid continuing uninterrupted since the onset of the assault.

On the occasion of World Humanitarian Day, Anadolu compiled the ongoing aid deliveries organized by these associations to the besieged enclave.

Leading the aid efforts, the Turkish Red Crescent spearheaded five of the “Goodness Ship” deliveries, sending a total of 869 truckloads (15,089 tons) of food, hygiene, shelter and medical supplies on 10 ships.

Additionally, 52,164 cans of meat, prepared from sacrificial donations for Gaza, were delivered via Türkiye’s disaster agency AFAD and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). Shipped in 12 containers through Egypt’s Alexandria port, the aid reached Gaza on Jan. 27-28.

Under AFAD’s coordination, 261 tons of canned meat loaded on Türkiye’s 15th aid ship are ready for delivery to Gaza, with Turkish Red Crescent teams on the ground overseeing the process.

The Turkish Red Crescent soup kitchen has been serving an average of 15,000 hot meals daily in northern and southern Gaza, distributing over 6.8 million meals to date. As of Aug. 17, its capacity rose to 21,000 meals a day with support from the Palestinian Red Crescent and local partners.

So far, the Turkish Red Crescent has sent 400 tons of aid supplies to Gaza.

As of Nov. 29, 2024, the Turkish Red Crescent began distributing drinking water in Gaza via tankers, providing 20 liters per family, totaling 20 tons daily. In total, it has delivered 1.66 million liters of drinking water to residents and will resume distributions once conditions allow.

On Feb. 27, 2,500 of 5,000 food parcels supplied through Jordan were sent to Gaza and distributed to those in need, while efforts continue to deliver the remaining parcels as soon as possible.

Additionally, due to restrictions on aid access to Gaza, 165 Turkish trucks carrying humanitarian relief – part of a total of 405 trucks unloaded at the Egyptian Red Crescent depot – were transported into Gaza as of Aug. 3, with sorting of the remaining supplies still underway.  

15 tons of clean drinking water daily from Deniz Feneri Association

Through 10 soup kitchens set up across northern, southern, and central Gaza, the Deniz Feneri Association delivers hot meals daily to 15,000 people, with distribution carried out by volunteers and local staff to camps and needy families.

Addressing the critical water shortage caused by the destruction of infrastructure, the association also distributes 15 tons of clean drinking water daily and keeps two active water wells operational.

At Gaza’s Wafa Hospital, the association provides food aid by serving three meals a day to patients and their companions.  

IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation distributed 35M hot meals in Gaza

Since the start of attacks, the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation has distributed over 35 million hot meals in Gaza. The foundation also delivered 127.6 million loaves of bread, 1.2 million assorted food items (including canned goods, pasta, ready-to-eat meals, and juice), 206,521 food parcels, 129,789 sacks of flour, and 17,848 packages of vegetables.

In addition, IHH sent 74,810 shares of the 2024-2025 obligatory sacrifices to Gazans and provided 2,567 tankers of drinking water.  

Cansuyu Association delivers over 1,200 tons of aid and vital supplies to Gaza

The Cansuyu Association has sent 102 trucks of aid to Gaza, including food parcels, flour, rice, oil, legumes, pasta, and canned goods. It has delivered 3,000 food parcels, 285,000 bread packs, 750 vegetable parcels, 500 gas cylinders, 349,300 hot meals, and 1,806 tankers of drinking water.

So far, it has sent 1,273 tons of food supplies and has an additional 20 trucks of emergency aid waiting at the border.  

IDDEF delivers millions of meals, bread, and clean water aid to Gaza

The Federation of Associations that Value Humanity (IDDEF) has delivered 4 million hot meals, 200,000 food, fruit-vegetable and hygiene parcels, 350,000 packages of bread, and 320 tons of flour to Gaza since the attacks began.

From its depots in Egypt and Jordan, the federation sent 204 aid trucks to the region and supported three AFAD-organized aid ships with eight trucks of supplies.

Currently inside Gaza, the federation distributes 3,000 hot meals and 50,000 loaves of bread daily, while also providing 25,000 liters of clean water each day through two tankers from operating water purification facilities.  

Doctors Worldwide delivers health, food, and hygiene aid to over 900,000 people in Gaza

The Doctors Worldwide Association has provided health, food, and hygiene aid to over 43,000 families — more than 900,000 people — in Gaza since Oct. 7.

Its teams offer medical services at Shifa, Al-Aqsa, and Al-Ahli hospitals, and at a health station set up in Yarmouk Camp in the north, where, in cooperation with UNICEF, they provide vaccinations and baby formula to children and pregnant women.

The association also supports over 280 health care workers with salaries and has delivered medical supplies, food, hygiene aid, and sacrificial canned meat to 155,000 people through Egypt and Jordan.  

Sadakatasi Association delivers aid to 1.2M people in Gaza

Sadakatasi Association has supported 1.2 million people in Gaza since Oct. 7, providing six ambulances, medicine, tents for 1,000 families, and schools for 400 students.

It distributed food to 22,000 families, flour to 4,000, bread to 110,000, 475 tankers of water, clothing, blankets, tents, sacrificial meat, and seven tons of fuel for hospitals. The group also served 1.2 million hot meals.

Meanwhile, Türkiye has sent 16 aid ships from Mersin to Egypt’s Al-Arish Port under the coordination of AFAD.