Turkish specialists await Israeli go forward to assist recuperate our bodies in Gaza

[ad_1] A workforce of Turkish catastrophe response specialists is stationed on the Egyptian border, awaiting Israeli authorisation to enter Gaza and assist in search and restoration operations, a Turkish official informed AFP on Friday.

The 81-member workforce from Turkey's Catastrophe and Emergency Administration Authority (AFAD) is supplied with specialised search-and-rescue instruments, together with life-detection units and skilled search canine.

They "are at present ready on the border on the Egyptian aspect," the official mentioned.

The group is ready to find and recuperate our bodies trapped beneath rubble.

"It stays unclear when Israel will enable the Turkish workforce to enter Gaza," mentioned the official, who spoke on situation of anonymity.

"Initially, Israel most well-liked to work with a Qatari workforce, however we're hopeful that our delegation can be granted entry quickly."

A Hamas supply informed AFP the Turkish delegation is predicted to enter Gaza by Sunday.

AFAD personnel are skilled in working beneath excessive circumstances, having responded to quite a few pure disasters, together with the devastating earthquake in southeastern Turkey in February 2023 which claimed over 53,000 lives.

The Turkish official famous that the workforce's mission contains finding each Palestinian and Israeli our bodies, together with hostages believed to be buried or hidden in collapsed constructions.

Nevertheless, the duty is difficult as a result of some Israeli hostages could have been disguised in native clothes to evade detection by Israeli drones throughout transfers.

"This example is predicted to complicate search operations and delay progress," the official mentioned, including that Hamas is predicted to offer location information associated to hostages.

Issues have been raised by some observers over the potential misuse of the Turkish workforce's heavy tools, with fears that it could possibly be repurposed by Hamas to entry underground tunnels.

-'Buffer zone'-

In Ankara, International Minister Hakan Fidan mentioned the chance that Israel could use Hamas's restricted capacity to recuperate our bodies from beneath the rubble as an excuse to renew navy operations led to considerations.

"Now and again we hear sure statements from Israel. That's worrying for us. Will Israel use, as an excuse, Hamas's specific incapability to recuperate our bodies trapped beneath the rubble to interrupt the ceasefire once more?" he informed a press convention along with his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul.

Whereas Hamas is blacklisted by Washington, Brussels and Israel as a terrorist organisation, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has all the time referred to it as "a liberation motion". He nurtures shut ties with it and ceaselessly hosts its leaders.

Turkey was carefully concerned within the negotiations for Gaza ceasefire and despatched a workforce led by spy chief Ibrahim Kalin to the talks within the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

Ankara is now planning to participate in a process drive within the Palestinian territory to watch the implementation of the ceasefire.

"For Gaza proper now, a key query is how a stability drive could possibly be fashioned," Fidan mentioned.

"We're carefully following these discussions: which international locations can contribute, and beneath what guidelines and agreements would this proceed?" he added.

"However on the finish of the day our aim is to create a buffer zone between Israel and the Palestinians in order that neither aspect can hurt the opposite."