Turkish translator condemns Israel's Gaza attacks as genocide in address

By Sule Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip is a "conflict that transcends the dignity of humanity on Earth," said a prominent speaker, addressing a recent panel in Istanbul.

Turkish translator Aycin Kantoglu's speech at a conference last month organized by the Institute of Islamic Thought (IDE) garnered significant attention.

Speaking to Anadolu, Kantoglu assessed the global reactions to Israel's assaults on Gaza and the tragic deaths of Gazan children.

Despite being commonly referred to as the Israel-Palestine war, she stressed that it is more than that.

"We are in a time when we need to choose our words carefully. We refer to this as the Israel-Palestine war, but it is not a war; it's a genocide in a city populated by children."

Kantoglu said Israel has shamelessly declared its oppression against the people of Gaza, underscoring that the plight of Gaza's children resonates worldwide and they convey the truth without speaking.

- Everyone around world standing up for Gaza

Kantoglu highlighted that Israel's attacks on Gaza are being protested worldwide.

She pointed out that one of the duties of the public is to "rescue minds and hearts that have been victimized at least as much as Palestine," saying that satisfactory answers should be provided to those with questions about the Palestinian issue.

Noting there are people who use arguments to conceal the genocide in Gaza, she said: "If someone you love, know, value or meet starts a sentence with 'but,' how should we respond? We must ask ourselves these questions. It is absolutely necessary to delve into their contexts because you need to convince them. You should confront that person themselves and even embarrass them for uttering this word."

Emphasizing that Israel is blatantly committing genocide in Gaza, Kantoglu said:

"Those who intentionally involve themselves in this are already terribly frightening individuals. Are there not those who unknowingly become a part of it and are exploited within the system? Of course there are. I believe that those individuals also need to be liberated. As free individuals, in a matter so blatantly clear, in a situation where there is no need to tell anyone on which side to stand, those who still attempt to conceal the truth are truly captive."

The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has mounted to 18,412, the Health Ministry in the enclave said Tuesday.

Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said that 50,100 other people have been injured in the Israeli onslaught.

Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip from the air and land, imposed a siege and mounted a ground offensive in retaliation for a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stood at 1,200, according to official figures.