Turkish Consul General in Jerusalem Ismail Çobanoğlu met with Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian in Ramallah to discuss the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and explore ways to evacuate Palestinian students receiving scholarships from Turkish universities.
According to a statement from the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, the meeting focused on Israel’s continued attacks on Gaza, the deteriorating conditions in the region and the urgent need to secure safe passage for students trapped in the enclave.
Çobanoğlu reaffirmed Türkiye’s support for the Palestinian people, strongly condemning Israeli military operations, displacement policies and efforts to marginalize the Palestinian cause. He stressed Ankara's commitment to helping affected students resume their education in Türkiye.
He also called for sustained international support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which has been repeatedly targeted in the conflict.
Aghabekian expressed appreciation for Türkiye’s ongoing support and highlighted the need to deepen bilateral cooperation. He urged the immediate resumption of political dialogue and the reactivation of joint ministerial committees to address pressing issues.
According to the Gaza Students Hope Network Platform, over 1,500 students in Gaza are registered with international universities. Ninety of them, who returned to Gaza for summer break in 2023, have been stranded since the conflict escalated on Oct. 7, 2023.
Since Israeli forces took control of the Rafah border crossing in May 2024, thousands of Palestinians – including students and medical patients – have been unable to leave the region for treatment or education abroad.
Despite international calls for a cease-fire, the Israeli army has pursued a genocidal war on Gaza, killing more than 57,100 Palestinians, most of them women and children, since October 2023.
Last November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its war on the enclave
Türkiye has been a fervent critic of Israel, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan comparing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler, accusing Tel Aviv of committing genocide and criticizing Western nations for backing Israel.
In May 2024, Türkiye suspended trade with Israel, citing its assault on Gaza, and in August 2024, it formally applied to join South Africa's initiative to have Israel tried for genocide at the ICJ.
Ankara is a firm supporter of the two-state solution with the 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as an independent Palestine.
