Turkish gov't finances humanitarian projects in Gaza


Turkish Consul-General in Jerusalem Mustafa Sarnıç inaugurated a number of humanitarian projects on Sunday, which have been financed by the Turkish government, during his visit to the Gaza Strip.Sarnıç arrived in the Gaza Strip on Sunday morning in the company of Serdar Çam, the president of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), to inaugurate the projects.He told Anadolu Agency that the projects he inaugurated in the coastal Palestinian enclave included water wells that aim to help the residents of Gaza obtain their basic water needs.Sarnıç said that Turkey would continue to study the conditions in Gaza, offer humanitarian support and contribute to its reconstruction.He added that he came to the embattled Palestinian territory on Sunday with the aim of assessing its conditions and helping to reconstruct the homes destroyed during the latest Israeli offensive.The Turkish delegation is expected to spend two days in the Gaza Strip to tour Turkish projects and also assess future projects, according to Çam.He said the Turkish delegation was in the Gaza Strip upon instructions from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in order to inaugurate the water wells that will provide a large number of Gaza residents with their water needs. The wells will provide water for more than 800,000 residents of Gaza. Çam stated that TİKA would continue to offer support to the Gaza Strip by all means. He said that he and his colleagues would work hard to offer help to Gazans affected by the latest Israeli war and also contribute to the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.The TİKA president added that his organization has already raised TL 75 million ($33.36 million) through the Turkish Endowments Ministry for people in Gaza affected by the Israeli offensive.Israel's 51-day war, which came to an end on August 26, left 9,000 Gaza homes in total ruin and 8,000 others in partial ruin. Around 2,157 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks during the offensive, while more than 11,000 were injured.