Turkish team awaits Israeli approval to enter Gaza for recovery operations

A team of Turkish disaster-response specialists is stationed at the Egyptian border, awaiting permission from Israel to enter Gaza and assist with search and recovery operations.

According to a Turkish official, the 81-strong delegation from Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) is equipped with advanced search-and-rescue tools, including life-detection devices and trained search dogs, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

“At present, they are waiting on the Egyptian side of the border,” the official said. The team is prepared to locate and recover bodies trapped under debris.

It remains unclear when Israel will grant access. “Initially, Israel preferred to work with a Qatari team, but we hope our delegation will soon be allowed in,” the official added.

A Hamas source said that the Turkish team is expected to arrive in Gaza by Sunday (October 19).

AFAD personnel bring experience from responding to extreme disasters, including the devastating February 2023 earthquake in southeastern Türkiye, which killed over 53,000 people.

The Turkish mission aims to recover bodies of both Palestinians and Israelis, including hostages believed to be trapped under collapsed buildings. Officials warned that some Israeli hostages may have been disguised in local clothing to avoid detection by Israeli drones, potentially complicating and slowing the search effort.

Hamas is expected to provide information on the hostages’ locations. However, some observers have expressed concern that the Turkish team’s heavy machinery could be misused, for example, to access underground tunnels.

By Aghakazim Guliyev