Turkish first lady calls on global community to end persecution of Palestinians in Gaza

By Muhammed Enes Calli

ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan called on the international community on Friday to take steps to end the persecution of people in the Gaza Strip, promising to make the voices of Palestinian children heard globally.

Speaking at the "Bulletproof Dreams: Exhibition of Gazan Child Artists" in Istanbul, Emine Erdogan said they must make the voices of Palestinian children, whose right to life is their most basic right, more audible and their suffering more visible.

"We call on the world to take action as soon as possible to put an end to this persecution and as Türkiye, under the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, we are making intense efforts in this direction," she said.

The exhibition was organized by the Turkish Communications Directorate in Taksim Square.

It includes a painting project initiated by Turkish journalist Abdullah Aytekin based on the drawing of Mona, a 6-year-old Gaza girl whose mother and 26 members of the same number of families were killed by during Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2008 and 2009.

The exhibition features 266 artworks, some of which were drawn by Gazan children who lost their lives in the subsequent attacks.

It aims to raise awareness in the international community by conveying the feelings, traumas, pain, and difficult conditions of children who witnessed the war in Gaza.

The exhibition includes both physical installations of paintings by Gazan children and digital screenings.

Since Oct. 7, Emine Erdogan said Israel has been raining bullets and bombs on the Palestinian people in front of the eyes of the entire world, and that civilians, especially women and children, have been the most affected by this situation.

"In 2009, we organized the 'Women for Peace in Palestine Meeting,' which was held in Istanbul. Maysa Yousuf from Gaza, who watched my speech on television, painted a picture with the note 'Dear Madam, your tears have reached us,' which really impressed me."

The Turkish first lady recalled that a call for peace was made for the children of Gaza at another summit in 2009, saying, "Today, as adults, they face the dark face of war, and today, perhaps their children share the same fate and have become victims of Israeli cruelty."

"How many more generations will we have to sacrifice in order to build a lasting and sustainable peace in the Palestinian territories?"

- Israel's cruelty can no longer be legitimized

The wars and massacres have the most devastating effects on children, Turkish Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said, who spoke at the exhibition.

These images "clearly" and "unambiguously demonstrate that for decades, Israel has crossed all moral boundaries recognized by humanity," he added.

Israel's cruelty can no longer be legitimized in any way, he added.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicines.​​​​​​​