ANKARA, Nov. 16 --Twenty-seven patients from Gaza and their 13 attendants, who passed through the Rafah border crossing from the Gaza Strip to Egypt, arrived in Türkiye's capital here on early Thursday.

"Twenty-seven patients from Gaza, most of whom are cancer patients who need urgent treatment, are in our country," Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca told reporters at the airport in Ankara.

"We established a health coordination team consisting of technical committees to bring patients to our country, especially cancer patients," the minister said.

Türkiye has delivered aid to Gaza, including medications, medical supplies and devices to meet the needs of the people in Gaza, he added.

The planes, departing from Egypt's El Arish Airport, landed at Ankara Esenboga Airport at midnight.

Koca traveled to Ankara from Egypt with some patients, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

These patients would be the first Gazans to travel from Egypt to another country for treatment, Koca told reporters in Egypt on Wednesday.

The conflict has so far led to the deaths of over 11,500 Palestinians in Gaza. On the Israeli side, about 1,200 people lost their lives, the majority of whom were killed in the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7.