ANKARA 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that Palestinian students from the Gaza Strip studying at universities in Türkiye will be exempt from paying tuition fees.

According to a presidential decree issued late Thursday, Türkiye will cover the cost of the year's second semester for students from Gaza pursuing bachelor's and diploma degrees in the country.

The decree applies to all Palestinian students from Gaza enrolled in Turkish public universities.

Palestinian students from Gaza have been cut off from their families, and the majority of them are unable to receive money transfers from their families in the Palestinian enclave currently under Israeli bloody assault.

At least 11,500 Palestinians have since been killed, including more than 7,800 women and children, and more than 29,200 injured, according to the latest figures from Palestinian authorities.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar