Turkey Sends Second Humanitarian Aid Ship to Gaza

After reconciling and normalizing relations with Israel, Turkey has dispatched its second ship carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians to Gaza. According to Turkish media, the new aid ship left the Turkish port of Mersin on Saturday, September 3. A Turkish official told Al Jazeera that the amount of aid on this ship is 'significant.' Turkey expects Israel to cooperate to ensure that the aid reaches the Palestinians in Gaza before the 22nd of September, which is the Eid al-Adha holiday. Five weeks ago, Turkey sent another ship to alleviate the daily suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. Israel took the previous ship to Ashdod port, unloaded the containers, and sent the aid overland to Gaza via trailers. The new ship will also be unloaded and inspected under Israeli supervision in Ashdod, and the aid will be sent to Gaza through the 'Erez' crossing. Israel rejected Turkish President Erdogan's insistence on lifting the eight-year maritime blockade of Gaza as a condition for normalizing relations between Turkey and Israel. The Israeli Prime Minister agreed, however, that Turkey could send humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank under Israeli supervision. The Turkish aid organization’s action in sending the Mavi Marmara aid ship to Gaza six years ago led to an Israeli military attack on the ship, killing ten passengers and injuring dozens, resulting in the expulsion of the remaining pro-Palestinian passengers. The Mavi Marmara incident caused a six-year crisis in Turkey-Israel relations, but the two countries have recently reconciled. Last Thursday, President Erdogan ratified the approved bill in the Turkish parliament to normalize relations with Israel. With the implementation of this agreement, new ambassadors from Israel and Turkey are set to begin their duties in Ankara and Tel Aviv in the coming days. Meanwhile, Egypt opened the Rafah border crossing for the first time after two months of complete closure on Saturday, September 3. Palestinians depend on Rafah to exit Gaza, as entry into Israel is prohibited for them. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been waiting since early summer for the Rafah crossing to open to travel to Arab countries and other parts of the world. Many Palestinian students studying abroad have also requested the opening of the crossing from the Egyptian government to return to their places of study. Gaza, which covers only 365 square kilometers and has a population of 1.9 million, is referred to as the world's largest prison, with its residents relying on global humanitarian aid due to an annual income of only $6,100. Recently, Israel imprisoned two senior Palestinian employees of the United Nations in Gaza who were active in UN aid efforts for Palestinians. According to The Guardian, Israel's internal security agency has imprisoned Muhammad al-Halabi and Wahid Bursh on charges of misusing UN aid funds 'to benefit objectives that assist Hamas,' an accusation that Palestinians have denied.