From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 7, 2023
Delivering aid to Turkey sees foes Israel and Iran land aircraft side by side
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJudah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.
An Israeli aid delegation arrives in Gaziantep, Turkey, to begin assisting in the rescue efforts after a series of devastating earthquakes in the area, landing next to a Qatari military plane and Iranian military plane doing the same.
The Israeli delegation, made up primarily of volunteers from the United Hatzalah emergency response organization, flew to Turkey in a plane operated by Sun D’Or, a subsidiary of the national El Al carrier, flying the Israeli flag.
The delegation is gathering its equipment and arranging transportation in order to meet up with an Israeli military search-and-rescue team operating nearby.
Qatar said it would send 120 rescue workers to Turkey, alongside “a field hospital, relief aid, tents and winter supplies.”
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Tehran is ready to provide “immediate relief aid to these two friendly nations” without specifying the scope of the aid.
Israel and Qatar do not have diplomatic relations, although Jerusalem was allowed to open an office in Qatar for the recent World Cup.
Israel and Iran are bitter foes.
AFP contributed to this report.
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