Turkey will prepare another aid ship for Gaza before the Eid-al-Adha Islamic festival in September, Deputy Prime Minister, Veysi Kaynak, said on Thursday.
Following restoration of diplomatic ties between Turkey and Israel, a Turkish aid ship carrying 11,000 tons of supplies for the Gaza Strip arrived at Israel’s Ashdod port on July 3, just before the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting.
The Panama-flagged Lady Leyla delivered 10,000 toys and 10,000 packages of food and aid for children in Gaza.
#Turkey sends #humanitarian aid, carried by #ship "#LadyLeyla" to #Gaza after reconciliation deals with #Israel #AA pic.twitter.com/K0DWcvZU7c
— Anadolu Images (@anadoluimages) July 4, 2016
Kaynak stated that Turkey and Israel froze their ties in 2010 after Israeli troops stormed the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara aid ship in international waters, killing 10 Turkish activists.
“Israel realized our terms to revive relations between the two countries,” Kaynak said adding, “Israel agreed that Turkey will be the coordinating country in delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza”.
Under the deal reached between Turkey and Israel, Israel agreed to Turkey’s humanitarian presence in Gaza and will pay $20 million in compensation to the families of the Mavi Marmara victims.
However, Turkeys’ condition that the siege be lifted on Gaza has not been fulfilled by Israel.
(PC, Anadolu)
