Ankara: The Turkish government said on Tuesday that Post-Graduate and doctoral students from the Palestinian enclave of Gaza Strip will be exempted from paying tuition fees in the spring semester of the 2023-2024 academic year.

This was announced in a government decree published in the official gazette, which was signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

So far, all Palestinian students from Gaza who are attending public higher education institutions in Turkey will be exempt from paying tuition fees in the second semester of the 2023-2024 academic year.

The Turkish government in November already announced that it would cover the cost of those students from Gaza pursuing bachelor's and diploma degrees in the country in the 2023-2024 academic year's second semester.

Ankara has been sending health and aid supplies to Gaza since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out in the Palestinian enclave on Oct 7.

The conflict has so far killed over 18,000 Palestinians, while Israel lost some 1,200 lives, most of whom were killed in the Hamas surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 which triggered the conflict.