The head of the Turkish Presidency's Directorate of Communications raised Türkiye's voice against Israel, slamming Tel Aviv for crimes against humanity and lamenting the West's silence in the face of the genocide of Palestinians.
Fahrettin Altun spoke in Istanbul on Saturday at the sixth annual Humanitarian Film Festival, organized by TRT World Citizen.
"Israel is a genocidal state. Israel is a murderer, and we will work with all our strength to put an end to Israel's oppression, to stop this cruelty and to showcase all of Israel's atrocities to the world using all means of communication and art at our disposal," Altun said during the awards ceremony of the festival. He emphasized the festival's focus on human rights, social justice and the importance of raising awareness about the effect of environmental issues on human life.
"This festival reminds us of the central truth of human life. Humanity today, unfortunately, is at the center of a great massacre," he said.
Altun highlighted the severe humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and beyond, noting the staggering numbers of casualties since Oct. 7, 2023: "Since that day, 786 infants, who had not even reached 1 year of age, have died, and a total of 42,885 people in Gaza no longer breathe. They are not just numbers; they are human beings, each one a mother, father, child, sibling," said Altun.
He pointed out the global repercussions of the violence in Gaza. "The massacre that began in Gaza has today expanded to Türkiye’s near geography, growing with a butterfly effect," he said. "All of these are clear and blatant crimes against humanity. Those who try to conceal these crimes are accomplices. The guilty party is Israel, supported by the Western establishment that strives to make Israel's crimes invisible.”
The directorate is among the contributors to Türkiye's fight to stop the Israeli massacres and highlight the Netanyahu administration's crimes against humanity. Last week, the directorate unveiled the "Lies of Israel" platform, an online portal aimed at shedding light on disinformation by Israel. Türkiye says Israel seeks to drum up support for its massacres by portraying Palestinians as terrorists and finding false excuses for its crimes under the guise of fighting Hamas.
