Türkiye’s first lady Emine Erdoğan visited pediatric patients who were transferred from the Gaza Strip to Türkiye via Egypt in the capital Ankara Thursday, reiterating her call for an immediate cease-fire amid the continuing Israel-Hamas conflict.
Erdoğan visited the 16 children who were transferred to Türkiye from Gaza and are being treated at Ankara Etlik City Hospital.
The first lady was accompanied by Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, Coordinator Head Physician of Etlik City Hospital Assoc professor Bülent Güngörer, Head Physician of Children's Hospital Assoc Prof Ferit Kulalı and doctors.
Taking care of the children one by one, Erdoğan was informed by the doctors about their medical conditions in detail.
Speaking to the relatives of the patients about the tragedy they witnessed in Gaza and the situation of other family members, Erdoğan hugged the relatives of the patients and conveyed her wishes of "get well and a speedy recovery".
Touched by the state of some children, First Lady Emine Erdoğan put the children with better health conditions on her lap, showered them with affection, and let them play with toys.
During her visit with Retal Ashour, the 9-year-old Gaza girl who is well-known for saying, "I can't feel my legs," Erdoğan was informed by the doctors that her leg would recover as well.
"Seeing that our Palestinian children – who are under treatment at Ankara Etlik City Hospital – were safe and well, renewed our hopes at least to some extent," Erdoğan wrote on X, who received information about the health of the children and wished them a speedy recovery.
"With all my heart, I demand an immediate permanent cease-fire and humanitarian aid for all innocent Palestinian children struggling to survive in besieged Gaza," she said.
A total of 182 patients were taken to Türkiye after passing through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
Türkiye expresses strong solidarity with Palestinians and said it is ready to provide visible and invisible humanitarian support. Türkiye firmly supports a “two-state solution” and advocates for the establishment of a fully independent Palestinian state as the only permanent resolution to the issue.
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 resistance group, Hamas, on Oct. 7.
At least 18,787 Palestinians have since been killed and 50,897 injured in the Israeli onslaught, according to Gaza's health authorities. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack, while around 139 hostages remain in captivity.
The first lady has been playing an essential role in calling for a cease-fire and coordinating aid for Gaza. She used the COP28 summit in Dubai to once again bring the issue and tragedies in Gaza up.
Furthermore, she hosted a summit in Istanbul last month, titled “One Heart for Palestine” in a show of global solidarity for Palestinians, gathering first ladies from different countries.
The summit, held at the presidential office in Istanbul’s Dolmabahçe, a diplomatic hub used by Turkish officials to address world crises, delivered a powerful message for the civilians caught in the Gaza Strip.
“For the peace and tranquility of the region and even the world, the unjust occupation of Palestine (by Israel) must end and Israel must return the lands it seized to its owner, the Palestinians,” she advised.
This summit echoed a similar initiative organized by the Turkish first lady in 2009 titled “Women for Peace in Palestine,” which convened first ladies amid heightened conflict in Gaza.
