With the beginning of Ramadan, Turkish organizations have launched large-scale humanitarian efforts to provide daily iftar meals to civilians in Gaza and Syria. The General Directorate of Foundations (VGM) under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV) began distributing the first of 20,000 daily iftar packages in Gaza on Feb. 18.
According to VGM, 10,000 of the daily packages are provided by the General Directorate of Foundations and 10,000 by the TDV. The meals are prepared in cooking centers set up at the Nuseyrat Refugee Camp and Deir al-Balah and are distributed regularly, with logistics and production continuing without interruption throughout Ramadan.
The program aims to support Gaza’s civilians and mitigate, even slightly, the impact of the ongoing violence, with a total of 290,000 iftar packages planned for delivery.
The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) is complementing the effort by providing food packages to 4,000 families and hosting daily iftar tables for 1,000 Gazans. TIKA emphasized that with 90% of homes damaged and around 2 million people displaced, residents of Gaza face serious difficulties accessing food, water and health care. Through the “TIKA Ramadan Kitchen,” the agency plans to serve 30,000 people during Ramadan.
Meanwhile, in Syria, the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) began Ramadan aid by providing iftar to 2,700 people across Damascus, Hama, Aleppo and Homs on the first day of the holy month. Yakup Alaca, head of the IHH Syria Media Unit, said families affected by war and economic hardship are prioritized and that operations are coordinated through local teams and volunteers.
The foundation aims to reach thousands more throughout Ramadan and expressed gratitude to Turkish donors and the public for their support.
