The 20th “Goodness Ship” prepared by the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay), arrived in Egypt’s al-Arish port on Sunday, two days after it left Türkiye’s Mersin with 1,400 tons of humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza.
The ship carries blankets, tents, winter clothes and hygiene kits among other aid materials, for Palestinians who struggle to survive in the harsh winter in the Palestinian enclave, almost razed to the ground by Israel’s genocidal attacks since 2023. The ship also carries food for Palestinians.
Egyptian officials accompanied Turkish ambassador to Egypt Salih Mutlu Şen, crews from the Turkish Red Crescent and Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) in welcoming the ship at the port. Speaking there, Şen told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the Turkish Red Crescent regularly dispatched vessels for Gaza and all vessels arrived safely at the port so far. “They contain aid based on surveys in the field and in coordination with the Egyptian Red Crescent, which determines what people in Gaza need most,” he said. Şen said the ship arrived at the time of the second stage in the Gaza cease-fire process, and AFAD and the Turkish Red Crescent would send more ships to the region in the coming weeks. He said the opening of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza on both sides would accelerate aid delivery and underlined that Türkiye was already ready to help Gaza. The ambassador also thanked Egypt for its strong cooperation in the efficient and fast delivery of the aid.
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reopen Rafah during talks in Jerusalem, Israeli media reported Sunday.
The reports came after a newly appointed administrator for Gaza said Thursday that the crossing would be operational in both directions next week.
Israeli news site Ynet reported, citing an unnamed Israeli official, that while the meeting between Netanyahu, Witkoff and Kushner was "positive," Witkoff pressed Israel to reopen Rafah even before Hamas returns the remains of the last Israeli hostage believed to be held in Gaza.
According to the official, Witkoff also raised the possibility of Türkiye playing a role in Gaza's future.
"Witkoff pushed to bring our greatest rival, Türkiye, to our border," the official was quoted as saying.
Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected any Turkish role in postwar Gaza, despite U.S. President Donald Trump having invited President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to join the "Board of Peace."
Reopening Rafah forms part of a Gaza truce framework announced by Trump in October, but the crossing has remained closed after Israeli forces took control of it during the war.
However, Ali Shaath, appointed to head a committee of 15 Palestinian technocrats tasked with overseeing Gaza's day-to-day administration, said at the World Economic Forum on Thursday that the gateway would reopen next week.
The crossing is a key entry point for humanitarian aid to Gaza's 2.2 million residents.
"For Palestinians in Gaza, Rafah is more than a gate, it is a lifeline and a symbol of opportunity," Shaath said.
A fragile cease-fire has been in place in Gaza since Oct. 10 and entered its second phase this month.
