Turkey plans to send humanitarian aid to Gaza to arrive in September, the country’s prime minister has said, according to Anadolu Agency.
On Thursday, Binali Yildirim met Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Riyad al-Maliki at Cankaya palace in Ankara.
According to prime ministry sources, Yildirim said Turkey’s support for the Palestinian people would continue in the future.
Turkey has welcomed Palestine’s stance against the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) which the Turkish government says was behind the defeated July 15 coup, which left 240 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
Maliki said Palestine stood by the Turkish government and thanked Ankara for the humanitarian aid bound for Gaza.
Israel launched a military operation against the Gaza Strip in July 2014 that killed more than 2,000 Palestinians and injured another 11,000, according to figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Turkey and Israel reached an initial reconciliation agreement late Sunday. Diplomatic ties between the two countries were suspended after Israeli troops stormed a Gaza-bound aid ship called Mavi Marmara in international waters in 2010, killing 10 Turkish activists.
The Mavi Marmara aid ship was among six civilian vessels trying to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza when Israeli commandos boarded it.
In the aftermath of the attack, Turkey demanded a formal apology from Israel, compensation for the families of those killed, and the lifting of Israel’s Gaza blockade.
In 2013, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced regret for the attack.
months of talks between the two countries finally bore fruit, with Turkey announcing that a deal would be signed, normalizing relations with Israel.
Under the deal, in addition to agreeing to Turkey’s humanitarian presence in Gaza, Israel will pay $20 million in compensation to the families of the Mavi Marmara victims.
