ANKARA: Turkiye is ready to take in cancer patients from Gaza’s Turkish-Palestinian Friendship hospital, which went out of service on Wednesday after running out of fuel, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Thursday.

Health officials said that the hospital, which was the only cancer treatment hospital in the Gaza Strip, had to shut down amid Israel’s bombardment of the enclave.

In a statement on social messaging platform X, Koca said that if the necessary coordination was done Turkiye was ready to bring both cancer patients and others in need of emergency help to Turkiye to continue their treatment.

“As Turkiye… we are ready to provide any and all support in continuing the treatment of cancer patients who were forcibly discharged from the hospital due to a lack of resources,” Koca said.

Saudi crown prince donates $5.3m to help Palestinians

Earlier the United Arab Emirates said it planned to treat 1,000 Palestinian children from Gaza, without saying how they would leave the enclave for the Gulf state.

In addition, Saudi Arabia said it was launching a fundraising campaign for Palestinians. In this campaign, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has donated 20 million Saudi riyals (roughly $5.3 million), the state-affiliated channel Al Ekhbariya reported.

The campaign “comes within the framework of the Kingdom’s well-known historic role in standing with the brotherly Palestinian people,” said Dr Abdullah al-Rabeeah, head of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

In an update by Medical Aid for Palestinians, Dr Marwan Abusada, chief of surgery at Gaza’s Al Shifa Hospital, said the situation was “beyond catastrophic” at hospitals in Gaza.

“We are almost out of fuel… The consumption needs are immense due to the influx of injuries and the thousands of people who are displaced and seeking refuge in the hospital,” Abusada said, adding Al Shifa had more than 800 injured people, far beyond its capacity.

He said many displaced people were living in the hospital courtyard and inside the building, including its corridors, and that there was a high chance of pandemics spreading between the patients and displaced.

“The ER rooms are beyond full. We have zero capacity to treat all the injured people. Every hour we have tens of injured that come for treatment. We are facing a real catastrophe.”

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2023