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Health officials said on Wednesday 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 Turkey was ready to bring
both cancer patients and others in need of emergency help to
Turkey to continue their treatment.
"As Turkey... 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.
"The international community and relevant institutions have
unfortunately not taken enough initiative to prevent the attacks
on the hospital. Saving the lives of the patients is now a duty
that cannot be escaped," he added.
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.
Turkey has so far sent more than 200 tonnes of humanitarian aid
and a team of medical personnel to Egypt for Gazans, while also
offering to set up a field hospital near the Rafah border
crossing. It has strongly condemned Israeli attacks on Gaza,
carried out in retaliation for Palestinian militant group Hamas'
Oct. 7 assault on Israel, and has called for a ceasefire.
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."
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Angus MacSwan; Editing by Daren
Butler, William Maclean)
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