'We cannot ignore' humanitarian crisis in Gaza, says Turkish minister

By Sarp Ozer

NEW YORK (AA) — Türkiye cannot ignore the humanitarian crisis faced by the Gazan people, the country's family and social services minister said on Tuesday.

"We cannot ignore the massacre carried out by Israel in the Gaza Strip, nor the humanitarian crisis faced by the people of Gaza, which is unfolding before the eyes of the entire world," Mahinur Ozdemir Goktas said at a side event of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

"The tragic consequences of these attacks threaten the most fundamental human right, the right to life. As Türkiye, we call on the international community to unite and take immediate action for a cease-fire," Goktas added.

She also commemorated the Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank this month.

Eygi, 26, was a human rights activist who was a volunteer of the International Solidarity Movement, which supports Palestinians through peaceful and civilian means against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

A dual Turkish-US national was shot in the head by Israeli forces on Sept. 6 during a peaceful protest against illegal Israeli settlements near Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

She was taken to a Palestinian hospital but died despite doctors' best efforts. Her body was laid to rest on Sept. 14 in the Didim, her hometown in Aydin, Türkiye.

Eygi's family called on the US government to launch an independent investigation into her killing, similar to the one being conducted by the Turkish government.​​​​​​​

*Writing by Muhammed Enes Calli in Istanbul