The Turkish public staged rallies for solidarity with people trapped in the besieged Palestinian city on the 42nd day of Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza.
Across Türkiye, mostly after Friday prayers, people wearing scarfs with colors of the Palestinian flag and carrying banners took to the streets. In some cities, the faithful performed funeral prayers in absentia for thousands of people killed in constant Israeli bombardment.
In Ankara, a union representing retired civil servants gathered outside a mosque before Friday prayers for protests.
In the eastern cities of Diyarbakır and Batman, demonstrators chanted slogans against Israel and voiced their support for the protection of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a sacred site for Muslims. Israel restricts access to the site for Palestinians and exerts pressure on the limited number of the faithful performing prayers at the mosque.
In the southern city of Adana, where protesters trying to storm a U.S. base confronted security forces in recent weeks, demonstrators gathered outside Ulu Mosque to condemn Israel and show their support for Palestinians. In the northwestern city of Kocaeli, medical staff staged a protest outside a hospital, denouncing the practice of depriving Gazans of their most basic rights.
Doctors, nurses and medical school students excoriated Israel’s bombardment of hospitals. Perihan Erdoğan, a spokesperson for demonstrators, said the world marked Prematurity Day on Friday, but Israel’s inhumane embargo on Gaza rendered hospitals out of service. “Fuel and electricity supplies to Gaza are cut off and preterm babies are the most affected ones in this situation. We see babies taken out of incubators because of cutoffs. At least six babies died because of that and 130 babies born preterm face a fatal risk,” she lamented.
Citizens have been holding rallies nationwide calling for a stop to Israel’s brutal campaign while public agencies, municipalities and universities in dozens of provinces have announced a boycott of goods of Israeli origin.
Türkiye champions the Palestinian cause for independence and advocates a two-state solution to the conflict. After the Israeli attacks, it has been more critical of Israel and plans to take the Israeli leaders to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes.
President Erdoğan, who led a solidarity rally with Palestinians in October, announced an informal freeze in relations with Israel, scrapping plans to visit Israel. Later, Türkiye recalled its ambassador to Israel, just as Israel did, by withdrawing its diplomats, citing security reasons.
Türkiye exerts efforts for mediation in the conflict, but opposes the international community’s biased approach siding with Israel solely while ignoring the tragedy of Palestinians in the Gaza enclave besieged by Tel Aviv. Before the latest conflict erupted, Türkiye was taking strides to restore ties frayed by Israel’s stance against Palestinians – particularly on Gaza and illegal settlements.
