Heads of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and major football clubs came together on Monday in Istanbul to announce a New Year’s Day rally for Gaza. It will be the third of its kind since 2023 and is expected to draw tens of thousands of people in solidarity with Palestinians.

The first such rally was held on Istanbul’s Galata Bridge on Jan. 1, 2024, a few months after a new round of the Palestine-Israel conflict began. The venue will be the same for the 2026 rally.

Bilal Erdoğan who serves as a member of the High Consultation Board of Turkish Youth Foundation (TÜGVA), told a news conference that the matter of Gaza was "above politics.” TÜGVA is a major component of the platform that brings together dozens of NGOs.

Türkiye is the fiercest critic of Israel’s genocide in the Palestinian territories and cut off ties with Tel Aviv after the conflict began. Since 2023, people of diverse political affiliations have staged rallies across the country to protest Israel.

"This is about humanity’s conscience,” Erdoğan said, noting that they needed a humanitarian alliance on the matter more than ever. Erdoğan called people to meet on the Galata Bridge on Jan. 1 to raise the voice of Palestinians as he pointed out the urgency of action by the international community for a fast implementation of the two-state solution. Türkiye advocates the establishment of a sovereign State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital to address the issue permanently. Israel and Hamas recently agreed upon a cease-fire deal thanks to efforts by the U.S. and regional countries, as well as Türkiye. Nevertheless, Hamas says Israel continues violations of the cease-fire. The Israeli army has committed hundreds of violations in the Gaza Strip since the cease-fire took effect on Oct. 10, resulting in the death of more than 400 Palestinians. Overall, nearly 71,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed while over 171,000 others were injured in Israel’s genocidal attacks targeting Gaza since October 2023.

TÜGVA Chair Ibrahim Beşinci echoed Erdoğan’s call and criticized the West for inaction on the matter. "They handed over thousands of Bosnian civilians to Serbs during the Bosnian War. We have seen the same thing happening elsewhere,” he said. "We cannot talk about a functioning global system or justice if a 8-month-old infant dies of a cold in a tent in the 21st century,” he said. Although a cease-fire is in place, the living conditions of Gazans who suffer from starvation and lack of proper accommodations among the ruins of the enclave have not changed much. With winter setting in, NGOs warn that more challenges are expected for Palestinians without humanitarian Access to the enclave. The last dire example of desperation in Gaza was the death of a 29-day-old infant last week, linked to a severe drop in body temperature. Overall, at least 13 people died of severe cold in the past few weeks.

The rally will be held under the motto: "We are not giving up, we are not going silent, we will not forget Palestine.”

"We still don’t know the exact number of losses; it may be above 70,000. At least 20,000 children were massacred in this genocide,” Erdoğan said. "Yes, it is a genocide as certified by international organizations, independent courts. Even Israel’s own NGOs testify that it is a genocide,” he said.

"We have to remain allied for humanity so that Israel’s Nazi approach will not be revived. Currently, there is a cease-fire, but it is not genuine. Gaza never saw a genuine cease-fire and attacks on civilians in the West Bank increased more than ever,” Erdoğan stated. "This is a fact confirmed by international bodies. We believe that preventing a repeat of Nazi acts of Israel and ensuring a genuine peace can be achieved if Israel is held accountable for its crimes and sentenced to pay compensation to victims,” he said. "We also believe that Israel should undertake the rebuilding of Gaza, as it is the sole culprit in the genocide. This is crucial, as much as ensuring a two-state solution,” he said.

Erdoğan said the Turkish President exerted sincere efforts and demonstrated strong leadership to end the genocide in Gaza and for the restoration of peace. "We only wish all Muslim countries rallied around him,” he added.

For his part, Beşinci said the peace is a matter that should not be left at the mercy of "puppet leaders of the West.” "Join us at 8:30 a.m. on the Galata Bridge on Jan. 1, to show that you did not forget what happened in Gaza. We invite everyone, mothers, fathers, the youth, to join us to break the wall of silence (over Gaza),” Beşinci stated.

Leaving mark

"We greet brave people of Palestine fighting for their freedom. Today, we gathered here as the National Will Platform of about 4,000 NGOs, as a humanitarian alliance. We will be in Galata for the third time, to leave a mark in history, to reject silence against ongoing systemic opression in Palestine, double standards and late condemnations,” he said, in reference to West’s support for Israel,” he said. "What happened in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, is a project of systematic elimination of a people before the very eyes of the world. Since that day, 210,000 tons of bombs have been dropped on Gaza. More than 70,000 people were martyred. A total of 2,600 families were wiped out. 5,000 families now only have one surviving member. Nearly 45,000 Palestinians lost their limbs. More than 20,000 Palestinians were detained and 12,000 Palestinians were subject to arbitrary detentions. 92% of residential buildings in Gaza were destroyed. 95% of schools were bombed. 87% of the entire city was damaged,” he underlined.

Beşinci named the ongoing cease-fire as "so-called,” pointing to ongoing deaths in Gaza. "In the cease-fire process alone, nearly 500 civilians were killed and 1,092 patients in need of medical evacuation died,” he said. "(Israel) bombed residential areas 413 times and allowed only 14,000 aid trucks out of about 42,000 trucks awaiting entry to Gaza,” he said. Beşinci noted that access to basic human rights was nonexistent and highlighted that the first phase of the 20-article Gaza Peace Plan was still not implemented. "The murderer Israel did not stop killings, devastation and blockage. Genocidal murderers Netanyahu and fellow war criminal are still not tried before an independent, fair court,” he stated.

Beşinci said theirs would not simply be "an event,” and Galata Bridge was "a line of conscience.” "We call you to become aware (of what is happening in Gaza). Standing on that line of conscience means remaining a human being. We won’t be there simply to build a crowd, we will be there to shout to the world that we are here (for humanity).”

He called on the public to get rid of the silence and shout their conscience. "We urge all organizations not to be satisfied with statements of condemnation; we call on them to take to the streets. We call on the media, influencers and artists to be the voice for truth, for the oppressed. We will be there free of our separate identities, we will be there to make the issue of Palestine the first message of the New Year, we will be there to show the world that we have not forgotten Palestine,” he said.

Participants of the rally will start a march at the Sultanahmet Square, home to iconic landmarks like Ayasofya Grand Mosque and Blue Mosque, after performing dawn prayers, to the Galata Bridge. Larger crowds are expected to join the march from Fatih and Taksim mosques.

Beşinci and Erdoğan were joined by representatives of Galatasaray, Trabzonspor, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş, four stalwarts of Türkiye’s top-tier Süper Lig. Speaking at the news conference, the Galatasaray Chair Dursun Özbek said the rally would be a great support to raise the voice of oppressed Palestinians to the world. Özbek noted that their club exhibited support since "day one” to Palestinians under the Israeli blockade. "Galatasaray cannot remain silent in the humanitarian drama,” he said. Galatasaray has utilized its international matches to demonstrate banners and slogans in support of Palestine for the past two years. "We support President Erdoğan’s efforts for Palestine and we count it a mission to raise awareness about the oppression of Palestinians,” Özbek said. Özbek called upon supporters of Galatasaray, which has the largest fan community in Turkish football, to join them.