Turkey sends aid to Palestine to fight coronavirus

Turkey's state-run aid agency on Friday sent medical aid to Palestine amid the fight against novel coronavirus pandemic.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) delivered medical and personal care packages to Palestinian health officials at a ceremony held at the Health Ministry building in Ramallah.

It provided COVID-19 testing kits, masks, special clothing and other basic equipment to the ministry.

During the ceremony, Palestinian Health Minister Mai Al-Kaileh conveyed her gratitude to the Turkish government and people for the aid.

For his part, TIKA Palestine coordinator Ahmet Refik Cetinkaya underscored the friendship between the two countries, saying Turkey would always stand by the Palestinian people in their struggle against Israeli occupation.

Turkey accepted Palestine's call for medical and financial assistance in the fight against the pandemic, according to an official statement Thursday.

Turkey announced an aid package for Palestine during an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said in a statement.

On Wednesday, the OIC held an extraordinary meeting to discuss measures in the fight against the virus.

Since 2006, Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip, where nearly 2 million Palestinians live, taking a grim toll on the economy, health and education.

There are 480 COVID-19 cases in Palestine, with two patients having died according to the official death toll.

The novel coronavirus has spread to 185 countries and regions since emerging in China last December, with the U.S. and Europe being the hardest-hit areas in the world.

Over 2.78 million cases have now been reported worldwide, with the death toll exceeding 194,000 and over 765,000 recoveries, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz