First lady Emine Erdoğan engaged in discussions with Egyptian first lady Entissar Amer regarding more humanitarian aid plans for Gaza and hosting orphaned children affected by Israeli attacks in the strip. This meeting took place as part of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's historic official visit to Cairo, aimed at enhancing bilateral ties between the two countries.

During the meeting, Erdoğan expressed Türkiye's readiness to temporarily host orphaned children from Gaza until a permanent cease-fire is established and the normalization process in the region is achieved.

Amer expressed her gratitude for the visit, which she stated brought great joy to the Egyptian people. She also conveyed her appreciation for the "One Heart Summit for Palestine," hosted by first lady Erdoğan in November 2023.

Accompanying Erdoğan was Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, while Entissar Amer was accompanied by Egyptian Social Solidarity Minister Nevine el Kabbaj.

Following the meeting, Erdoğan and Amer visited the Hayat Karima Foundation and the Egyptian Red Crescent, organizations actively involved in voluntary aid activities at the Rafah Border Gate between Egypt and Gaza since the onset of Israel's attacks on Gaza.

Erdoğan shared details of the visit on her social media account, highlighting the aid efforts of the Egyptian Red Crescent and the activities organized for Gaza. She expressed appreciation for the efforts of Egyptian institutions and nongovernmental associations in delivering humanitarian aid to Palestinians.

Erdoğan emphasized that Türkiye will continue its efforts to ensure uninterrupted aid to Gaza, with more than 7,000 tons of aid materials delivered to Gaza from Türkiye to date, in coordination with the Egyptian Red Crescent.

Reflecting on her visit to the Hayat Karima Foundation, Erdoğan commended the organization's efforts to support the development of rural and impoverished areas, particularly its efforts to improve the living conditions of women, children and orphans. She congratulated the volunteers and officials of the foundation for their dedicated efforts at the Rafah border gate.

The visit concluded with Erdoğan, Amer, Göktaş and el-Kabbaj taking photos with Turkish Red Crescent President Fatma Meriç Yılmaz and Egyptian Red Crescent staff, symbolizing the ongoing cooperation between the two organizations in providing aid to Gaza.

Aid vessels

Turkish Red Crescent President Fatma Meriç Yılmaz announced Tuesday that two humanitarian aid ships organized by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and the Turkish Red Crescent will set out to deliver aid, especially food to Gaza until Ramadan.

Recalling that he visited Egypt with AFAD President Okay Memiş in the first days of Israel's attacks on Gaza, Yılmaz said, "We hoped that the conflict would end soon at that time, but unfortunately, things are not getting better in Gaza."

Stating that the cooperation between the Egyptian Red Crescent and the Turkish Red Crescent continues to increase, Yılmaz explained that the Egyptian Red Crescent has undertaken an important task from the moment the events in Gaza began.

Stating that no matter where aid comes from anywhere in the world, the logistics are provided by the Egyptian Red Crescent, and then the communication is established and delivered to the Rafah Border Gate, Yılmaz said that with the cooperation agreement, four Turkish personnel were sent to Egypt to assist the Egyptian Red Crescent in logistics work.

Pointing out that the biggest problem in the first period of Israel's attacks was logistics, Yılmaz said: "Because a lot of aid was coming, very few trucks were entering. We were advocating for the gate to be opened wider and more aid to enter. Since then, the number of trucks entering this side has increased. In fact, there is a need for more sustainable and regular aid to come here, and this need continues."

AFAD International Humanitarian Aid Department head Niyazi Çetinkaya briefed regarding the two humanitarian aid ships that will set out from Türkiye and said: "These ships generally carry around 2,000 tons of aid and their content covers the urgent needs determined as a result of the joint work of the Egyptian Red Crescent and the Palestinian Red Crescent. Primarily, flour, tents, blankets, food and shelter."

Çetinkaya explained that before a humanitarian aid ship is sent to Gaza, a planning process begins 15 days in advance, such as the ship's docking date, loading planning with nongovernmental organizations and aid resources.

Çetinkaya stated that a ship will dock at Mersin Port as of today and aid will begin to be loaded, and said: "The aid sent from our country is sent entirely under the coordination of the AFAD. The total tonnage of the aid sent was transported in five ships and 12 planes, totaling approximately 34,000 tons. In addition to the aid sent via Egypt, we have so far delivered 26,000 tons in cooperation with the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)."

Explaining that a ship is loaded in approximately five days, reaches el-Arish in one and half days, and unloading operations are completed in five to six days, he said, "Once the trucks are unloaded, the second stage is the passage to the Rafah Border Gate, which depends on the daily transit capacity."

Pointing out that the number of trucks going to Gaza dropped to 10, especially during periods when bombings were intense, Çetinkaya stated that they continued to deliver aid with all their means and to stand by the people of Gaza.

He further noted that those who want to donate money to Gaza can donate to the AFAD's donation accounts, and those who want to provide in-kind aid can donate through nongovernmental organizations and the Turkish Red Crescent.

Speaking about the water shortage in Gaza, Çetinkaya pointed out the importance of meeting this situation in a sustainable manner.

Çetinkaya emphasized the challenges associated with importing bottled water from various countries, citing risks related to the process and timely delivery. "To address this, we've focused on sustainability by sourcing water locally, specifically from within Egypt," he explained.

"In collaboration with the Egyptian Red Crescent, we procure water from Egypt on a weekly basis. We're currently conducting operations to transport approximately five trucks carrying 1.5 and 11 liters of water to Gaza, totaling around 3,000 tons of water over a period of approximately six months."

He added that, to date, four shipments comprising 21 trucks have been successfully delivered to Gaza as part of the weekly shipments.