KADEM and Turkish Red Crescent distribute over 1 million hot meals in Gaza

The Women and Democracy Foundation (KADEM) has started distributing over 1 million hot meals in Gaza, where Israeli attacks are ongoing, through the Turkish Red Crescent. According to a statement from KADEM, in the region where over 1 million people, constituting half of the population, are struggling to survive on the brink of famine, the Turkish Red Crescent continues its soup kitchen activities in Gaza's Deir Belah city without interruption despite all difficulties. KADEM has launched the 'Brotherly Share for Gaza' campaign due to the genocide imposed by Israel, which has caused over 50,000 children to suffer from health issues related to acute malnutrition, ensuring that over 1 million hot meals reach the region through the Red Crescent. With KADEM's support, the Red Crescent will provide daily hot meals for 15,000 people from its soup kitchen in Gaza for 76 days. The cooperation will ensure a total distribution of 1 million 140 thousand hot meals. KADEM's Board Chair Saliha Okur Gümrükçüoğlu stated that as a civil society organization, they have implemented the 'Brotherly Share for Gaza' aid mobilization throughout Türkiye with a sense of brotherhood and solidarity. Gümrükçüoğlu mentioned that basic humanitarian needs such as food, clean water, and hygiene materials must be delivered to the region. She noted that they opened 'charity markets' in Istanbul and 55 cities where KADEM has representatives as part of the aid mobilization. She explained that donations collected through the 'Brotherly Share for Gaza' account are used to transport food and hygiene materials to Gaza via the Red Crescent's aid ship from Mersin to the Ariş Port and then by land. Gümrükçüoğlu said, 'We are distributing hot meals to over 1 million people in Gaza. We aim to provide some support to the Palestinian people struggling to survive amidst bombs, occupation, hunger, and thirst. I thank the Red Crescent, especially the Red Crescent President Fatma Meriç Yılmaz, for supporting this large campaign we initiated across Türkiye and facilitating the delivery of our aid to the region.' Turkish Red Crescent President Fatma Meriç Yılmaz stated that they are working to provide more humanitarian aid to the victims of the conflict in Gaza, saying, 'We are doing everything we can to support the victims of the conflict in Gaza. We have also collaborated with KADEM in this regard. Our soup kitchen-focused cooperation is a meaningful step not only in delivering hot meals to the people of Gaza but also in showing them that they are not alone.' Yılmaz also noted that these supports remind us of the power of humanity and solidarity, and thanked KADEM's Board of Trustees Chair Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar and Board Chair Saliha Okur Gümrükçüoğlu for initiating and managing the campaign.