First lady Emine Erdoğan joined President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and thousands in the "Great Palestine Meeting" on Saturday in Istanbul. In a social media post after the rally, the first lady vowed to support Palestinians crushed by Israeli oppression in the Gaza Strip.
"We shouted out to the world as one voice from Istanbul to be the voice of Gaza's mothers, children and all the innocent people's silent scream," the first lady said as she shared a post of the meeting.
"We will only be able to speak of humanity, conscience and mercy on the day when Israeli oppression stops, and we see children playing in safety in Gaza. On that day, our hearts and minds will also find peace. Until then, we will continue to stand by the Palestinian people,” she said. Erdoğan also wished Allah's mercy on those who were killed and a speedy recovery to the injured.
People from different walks of life, carrying Turkish and Palestinian flags, gathered at the Atatürk Airport in Istanbul for solidarity with Palestinians suffering under Israel's blockade and heavy bombardment for days. Some wore headbands with the inscription: "We are all Palestinians," "End the genocide, let the children live" and "Be the voice of Palestinian children."
The Turkish first lady has offered aid for Palestinian children in Gaza, to host those without families or in need of treatment in Türkiye. She also spoke over the phone with Queen Rania of Jordan and Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al Missned, the mother of the emir of Qatar, both of whom also agreed to increase cooperation and solidarity in response to attacks in Gaza.
Emine Erdoğan emphasized the catastrophic nature of one of the most devastating tragedies in the history of Palestine in her conversation with Queen Rania. She pointed out that innocent civilians were killed because of Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip, with the majority being women and children.
Erdoğan said it is unthinkable to remain silent and indifferent and highlighted significant efforts made by Türkiye, Jordan and Qatar to achieve an immediate cease-fire and send humanitarian aid to the region. She emphasized the need for Muslim countries to increase cooperation and solidarity for Palestinians.
The first lady conveyed that as spouses of regional and Muslim country leaders, the trio needs to strongly voice concerns about the massacre in Palestine and unite in the common pain they feel, making their voices stronger and more resounding. There was an agreement in the conversations to raise a stronger voice, increase cooperation and solidarity in response to the events in Palestine, and a consensus to come together as soon as possible on this issue. Queen Rania and Sheikha Moza conveyed messages of support for Türkiye's efforts in this regard.
