Türkiye's first lady urges Israel to end its violence in Gaza

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkey’s first lady Emine Erdogan called for an end to the violence in Gaza on Thursday, following Israel's intensified attacks on Rafah

“The brutality of targeting hospitals, schools, places of worship, and camps where civilians seek refuge, condemning innocent people, regardless of gender, age, or status, to illness and hunger, must now come to an end,” said Emine Erdogan on X.

Rafah, home to nearly 1.5 million displaced Palestinians, has been the last refuge for innocent people, Erdogan said, adding that Palestinians have been living through “a humanitarian nightmare” since Oct. 7 last year.

“Israel continues to disregard international law by committing successive war crimes and perpetuating killings.

“With the attacks on Rafah, which aim to sever the Palestinian people's connection to humanitarian aid and cast a shadow over cease-fire negotiations, we are once again devastated,” she said.

The first lady also urged an immediate reversal of “this irreversible mistake,” and said she “wholeheartedly” wished for Palestine to attain the peace it deserves.

“We will not relent in our struggle until the day comes when our Palestinian brothers and sisters can raise their children in peace and security on their rightful lands,” she underlined.

The Israeli army launched an offensive on Tuesday on the southern city of Rafah, where some 1.5 million displaced Palestinians have sheltered, as part of its deadly offensive on the territory following a Hamas attack that killed nearly 1,200 on Oct. 7, 2023.

Since Oct. 7, more than 34,900 Palestinians, including at least 15,002 children and 9,893 women, have been killed, and 78,514 people have been injured in Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Over seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.