Minister urges WHO action to secure health services in Gaza

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has penned a letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) chief, urging the global health body to guarantee the security of health services in Gaza and to facilitate Türkiye's support for the victims of the ongoing conflict.

Koca shared Oct. 25's letter on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

In the letter, he called upon the WHO to play a more significant role in addressing the crisis. "We wholeheartedly believe that from now on, what you can do for Gaza... is much greater than what you have done so far. The days that we are going through on WHO the mission to prevent further violations of human dignity," he said.

Koca emphasized that the current efforts of the WHO "fall short of the expectations and political will" required to protect the safety of health services in Gaza.

The minister urged the organization to take immediate and necessary initiatives to secure these services, especially for sick children and injured individuals affected by the conflict.

Furthermore, he indicated that Türkiye is fully prepared to provide essential health care services, especially to treat the injured in Turkish facilities.

Koca underscored the importance of the WHO's two key mottos, "health for all" and "leave no one behind," and called upon the organization to uphold these principles.

In a parallel effort, Koca announced that two additional planes have been dispatched from Türkiye to Egypt, carrying critical humanitarian aid for Palestinians. The assistance includes generators and medical supplies aimed at addressing the pressing needs of the affected population, he informed.

With these two new, Türkiye has now sent a total of six aid planes to the region.

"We will maintain our...