A large Israel Defense Forces aid delegation landed in southeastern Turkey on Wednesday afternoon to establish a field hospital to treat victims of the devastating earthquake that has killed thousands of people, the military said.
The IDF said 15 Air Force cargo planes carried hundreds of tons of equipment and some 230 participants — including search and rescue experts, military medics and Health Ministry doctors, nurses and paramedics — to Turkey to set up the hospital in the evening hours.
“We are very proud to be on the aiding side and to assist the Turkish nation in its difficult hour,” said Brig. Gen. Gilad Keinan, the commander of the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel. “This action reflects the IDF’s values and Israel’s values.”
The IDF already has some 150 search and rescue experts on the ground working to rescue civilians trapped under the rubble. So far, the teams from the IDF’s Home Front Command have rescued five Turkish civilians.
The hospital was to be built near where the search and rescue teams were operating in the city of Kahramanmaraş, also known as Marash, according to IDF spokesman Ran Kochav.
