Women in Istanbul stage sit-in protest in support of Palestine

By Elif Somuncu

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Solidarity Initiative with Palestinian Women initiated a three-day sit-in protest in Eminonu Square in Istanbul to protest Israel's attacks on Palestine on Friday.

Sumeyye Erdogan Bayraktar, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees at the Women and Democracy Foundation (KADEM), expressed her support for the women starting the sit-in protest and condemned Israel for targeting innocent people, women and children in hospitals and schools in Gaza for the past 75 years, stating that "there can be no justification for such actions."

Israel is subjecting an "innocent population" to a form of "Nazi oppression" with the occupation of Palestinian territories and the deprivation of their rights, including education, healthcare, travel, and religious freedom, Bayraktar stressed.

There is no justification for Israel's actions, which are classified as war crimes in international agreements and the Geneva Convention, she added.

"In the West, Muslim regions are often targeted through women's rights discourse, and in Türkiye, PKK terrorists are wrongly hailed as freedom fighters. However, we stand in solidarity with heroic Palestinian women who bravely protect their land and call on humanity to speak out against this tragedy," Bayraktar pointed out.

Meanwhile, Hatice Karasakiz, Head of the Women's Branch of the Mavi Marmara Association, said they have gathered to protest the 14-day-long massacre by Israeli forces in Gaza and invite those who share their feelings to take action.

Karasakiz invited Turkish and global civil society organizations to act against Israel's ongoing 'genocide' in Gaza.

Members of 39 civil society organizations, women holding Turkish and Palestinian flags, gathered in Eminönü Square to express their disapproval of Israel's actions in a sit-in protest planned to continue until Sunday night.