Istanbul district tributes forest to Palestinian lives
The "1 Goodness 1 Sapling" project planted 10,000 saplings, Şile, Istanbul, Türkiye, April 30, 2024. (IHA Photos)


Ten thousand saplings were planted in a memorial forest in the Şile district of the city of Istanbul for Palestinians killed in Gaza by Israeli attacks.

Initiated with a sapling planting ceremony organized by the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) within the scope of the "1 Goodness 1 Sapling" project, the project includes the participation of Diyanet's Istanbul youth and women's branches as well as students and donors.

"As Şile Mufti's Office, we participated in the '1 Goodness 1 Sapling' activity, which is one of the activities of the Presidency of Religious Affairs. We are now in the sapling planting area created for our martyred brothers in Gaza,'' Şile Mufti Necmi Ünsal said.

''Our aim is to highlight our sensitivity about Gaza. To ensure that the whole world is sensitive for the children, women and people who died in Gaza," he added.

Betül Şahin, project officer for Diyanet, said: "As the Directorate of Women Family Youth Services of the Religious Foundation of Türkiye, we are creating a memorial forest on behalf of our Gaza martyrs here today within the scope of the '1 Goodness 1 Sapling' project."

She continued: "In our memorial forest consisting of 10,000 saplings, we are together with our volunteers, students and donors at today's representative sapling planting ceremony. I hope that as these saplings grow and grow, a work and awareness will be created in this event that will be instrumental in the Gaza victory."

"We are trying to plant these saplings with prayers with mercy and gratitude to our martyrs who died for the Islamic geography. Each of our students plants a sapling with a prayer. May it touch the souls of our brothers and sisters who are persecuted and martyred in all oppressed geographies," she added.