Three Palestinians from Gaza buried in Turkey’s Ankara after dying in hospital

Dozens of people in the Turkish capital Ankara turned out on Sunday for the funerals of three Palestinians, including a baby, who had been brought from Gaza to Turkey for medical treatment amid Israel’s war and later died

The three wounded Gazans were evacuated from the devastated territory via Egypt, and then transferred to the Etlik City Hospital in Ankara. 

The dead were identified as 59-year-old Hassan Abed Hussein, 32-year-old Aisha Subhi Muhammad, and two-month-old baby Yamen Al-Kurdi.  

The funeral prayer was attended by Ankara’s governor Ahmet Kar Arslan as well as the representatives of several Turkish charitable and civil society organisations according to İLKHA. 

The coffins of all three were draped with Turkish and Palestinian flags, while many who attended chanted slogans in support of Palestine. 

İLKHA stated that it had not possible for medical authorities to send the bodies of the Palestinians back to Gaza despite various attempts. 

According to the news outlet, the two adults, Hassan Hussain and Aisha Muhammed, were cancer patients while baby Yaman Al-Kurdi was injured by Israeli strikes following his birth- where he urgently required treatment. 

Muhammed, a mother of four, was reportedly killed after having remained without treatment for a long period of time due to the ongoing assault on Gaza.  

Muhammed’s family were later informed of her death a week prior to the funeral and had insisted on returning her body for burial in the Palestinian enclave.  
 
İLKHA reported that on the same day, Israeli forces bombed their house, killing of her parents and brothers. 

Turkey had previously sent a ship loaded with material for field hospitals, ambulances and generators to Egypt to treat civilians who have been able to flee Israel's war on the enclave. 

In November, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 27 patients had been flown to Turkey from Egypt, along with 13 companions, without specifying whether these were doctors or family members. 

Turkey has long championed the Palestinian cause and, more recently, has stepped up its verbal rhetoric against Israel, whose indiscriminate war on Gaza has killed nearly 22,000 people.

Speaking at an event in Ankara on Wednesday, Turkey’s President Erdogan reiterated his criticism of Western support for Israel, adding that Turkey was ready to welcome academics and scientists who faced persecution due to their views on the conflict in Gaza.