Thousands of people gathered in the capital Ankara on Sunday for a major rally calling for a humanitarian corridor into the Palestinian enclave Gaza suffering under Israel’s genocidal attacks.
The rally, organized by the Ankara Palestine Solidarity Platform, a coalition of various nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), began after afternoon prayers at Kocatepe Mosque and concluded with a march to Parliament. Protesters carried banners reading “You cannot remain silent while children are dying” and “Humanitarian corridor to Gaza, now!” They voiced slogans against Israel.
Speaking on behalf of protesters, Ismail Mansur Özdemir said the ongoing blockade of Gaza had a horrible humanitarian toll. He said that a humanitarian intervention was necessary, though many people would likely continue to suffer from debilitating diseases and injuries. “We are seeing significant efforts around the world for opening a humanitarian aid corridor. As NGOs, we support noble efforts to break the Israeli blockade through convoys and vessels,” he said, referring to recent trips to Gaza by aid flotillas that were cut short by Israel’s intervention. Özdemir said that Türkiye, with its historic and moral responsibility, always sided with the oppressed in terms of humanitarian aid. “Establishing a humanitarian aid corridor into Gaza is a necessity, but Parliament should turn it into action. As NGOs, we appeal to Parliament to lead the creation of a humanitarian aid corridor by land, sea and air. All political parties should have a common will to that extent,” he said.
On Saturday, a similar rally to show support for Palestinians was held in Istanbul. Pro-Palestinian marches are commonplace in Türkiye, which strongly supports the Palestinian cause and Hamas’ resistance.
A U.N. official on Sunday warned the Security Council that Israel's plans to control Gaza City risked "another calamity" with far-reaching consequences, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted his goal was not to occupy the territory. The United Nations Security Council held a rare emergency weekend meeting after Israel said its military would "take control" of Gaza City in a plan approved by Netanyahu’s security cabinet that sparked a wave of global criticism. "If these plans are implemented, they will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza, reverberating across the region and causing further forced displacement, killings and destruction," U.N. Assistant Secretary General Miroslav Jenca told the Security Council.
The U.N.'s humanitarian office, OCHA, said 98 children had died from acute malnutrition since the start of the conflict in October 2023, with 37 of those deaths since July, according to Gaza's authorities.
"This is no longer a looming hunger crisis – this is starvation, pure and simple," said OCHA's coordination director Ramesh Rajasingham.
Palestine's U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour said Sunday, "over 2 million victims are enduring unbearable agony," calling Israel's plans for Gaza City "illegal and immoral," and urged foreign journalists to be allowed into Gaza.
Netanyahu announced on Sunday a plan to allow more foreign journalists to report inside Gaza, but accompanied by the Israeli military.
Britain, a close ally of Israel which nonetheless pushed for an emergency meeting on the crisis, warned the Israeli plan risked prolonging the conflict.
"It will only deepen the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. This is not a path to resolution. It is a path to more bloodshed," said British deputy ambassador to the U.N. James Kariuki.
World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus echoed that sentiment, calling the Israeli plan "deeply worrying, given the already dire humanitarian and health situation across the Strip."
But Netanyahu said Sunday his country was "talking in terms of a fairly short timetable because we want to bring the war to an end," as he insisted Israel did not want to occupy Gaza.
Outside the meeting at U.N. headquarters in New York, a small but noisy protest calling for an end to the conflict was met by a large police presence.
Algeria's Ambassador Amar Bendjama called for sanctions on Israel in response to its Gaza City plan.
"The hour has come to impose sanctions on the enemy of humanity," he said.
"If it were another country, you would have been imposing sanctions a long time ago," the Palestinian envoy Mansour said.
