Acting in line with the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) and Magen David Adom (MDA) in Israel joined forces to evacuate Turkish nationals wounded in the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ incident on 31 May. In a joint statement issued on 3 June, TRC and MDA detailed their cooperation and their collaboration with both Turkish and Israeli authorities.
A TRC team was deployed to Israel on 1 June, composed of two physicians, one disaster management expert and one international relations delegate. The team was greeted at the Tel-Aviv airport by MDA representatives and together, they visited several hospitals where the wounded were being treated.
“There were many parties in this affair, and many problems to overcome,” explains Ali Akgül from TRC, who headed this mission in Israel. “But, with the MDA, we always believed we would be successful in finding a way to repatriate the injured Turkish citizens. We trusted each other, and we did a good job together. I think what allowed us to find a common agreement on how to do this was basing our action on the fundamental principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, especially the principle of Humanity.”
The 23 injured Turkish citizens were evacuated to Turkey on 3 and 4 June.
“Cooperation was wonderful from the beginning,” underlined David Abadi, Movement Cooperation Coordinator for MDA. “We met very professional people who came to do humanitarian work, based on the fundamental principles of the Movement. We felt very comfortable with each other and we did all we could to help them and assist them for the evacuation of the patients, even if the situation was difficult. We got along very well, both on a professional and a personal level.”
IFRC President Tadateru Konoé and IFRC Secretary General Bekele Geleta, have issued a statement expressing deep shock over the loss of life resulting from the attack on the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ and recalling the “urgency of the untenable humanitarian situation in the Gaza strip, the disastrous effects the ongoing (Israeli) blockade is having on the people of Gaza and the need to grant a dignified life and immediate access to medical and social services for the people in Gaza.”