Palestine thanks Turkey for medical aid amid COVID-19 pandemic

Medical aid from Turkey came at a time when the government needed it the most, Palestinian Authority's deputy foreign minister said Thursday.

"This help meets the needs of Palestine in a critical period when the Palestinian budget is inadequate and the economy is negatively affected by the coronavirus outbreak," Ahmad ed-Dijk told Anadolu Agency.

Turkey always exercises its influence for the Palestinian cause, he said, and he conveyed his gratitude on behalf of Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas.

A medical cargo plane sent to Palestine is expected to land Thursday at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

Palestine recorded 507 COVID-19 cases, including in the occupied territories, with two deaths, according to officials.

Turkey has helped 57 countries to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, including the UK, Spain, Italy, Britain, Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Libya and Somalia.

Since first appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 187 countries and regions, with the US and Europe the hardest-hit areas.

More than 3.2 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the death toll surpassing 230,000 and more than 1 million recoveries, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the US.