Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Food aid comprised of 25 Lorries to be delivered to 25,000 suffering families; Turkmens in Iraq and the Palestinian people under attack by Israel has been handed over to the Disaster & Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) by TOBB. Attending the handover ceremony held at TOBB ETU were TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, Deputy Prime Minister Beşir Atalay and AFAD President Fuat Oktay as well as the TOBB Board Members.

TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stressed their desire to help the Turkmens in Iraq and the Palestinians in Gaza, each suffering under harsh conditions, “Our belief requires that we help those in need. It is with this understanding that we will be sending 25 Lorries of aid supplies to our Turkmen and Palestinian brothers via AFAD. The aid will be comprised of 25,000 food packages to be distributed to 25,000 families in need.”

The aid packages include basic food ingredients such as oil, flour, sugar, pasta, olives and rice, “Unfortunately, our Turkmen brothers in Iraq. It is our duty to preserve the Turkish presence in lands which they’ve called home for millennia. Likewise, we cannot sit idly by with what is happening in Gaza. Every life lost wounds our hearts. We previously sent 5 Lorries carrying aid supplies worth over a million TRY to aid 100,000 Palestinians to Gaza and the West Bank through the Red Crescent. Our efforts to establish an Organized Industry Zone in Jenin are also ongoing, which will provide employment to 10,000 Palestinians.”

- A new camp for 20,000 people in Duhok

Deputy Prime Minister Beşir Atalay thanked TOBB for their contributions, stated that Turkey is a safe harbor in the region and pointed out the issues facing the region.

Reporting that a total of 92 Lorries have delivered aid to Turkmens in Iraq to date, Atalay stated that there are certain difficulties to delivering aid to Gaza while attacks are underway.

Beşir Atalay stated that a refugee camp is being established in Duhok, to provide for all the needs of refugees, and that while the first choice of location was Sinjar, it remains a risky location. The camp in Duhok will take in all Turkmen refugees and house 20,000 people.