University students across Türkiye have decried the global silence after Israel struck a displaced persons tent camp in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, killing dozens.
Hundreds gathered outside Biruni University in Istanbul on Tuesday in protest of Israel’s ongoing attacks and the United States’ support for Israel.
“Israel, which has occupied Palestine and massacred women and children indiscriminately for nearly a century, has once again proven what a monster it is on Sunday night,” the group’s spokesperson Fatih Karagül said, referring to the Israeli attack that killed 45 people, triggered global outrage and an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
“Israel is once again committing crimes against humanity, showering innocent civilians in Rafah with bombs. They continue committing acts of terrorism despite the world’s anger,” Karagül said. “This attack is where words end.”
From Trakya University in the northwestern Edirne province to Osmangazi University in central Eskişehir and southeastern Gaziantep University, students staged rallies, waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and chanting slogans condemning Israel’s targeting of civilians.
“It’s past the time for condemnations. Now is the time to act,” Ömer Koca, a fourth-year student from Eskişehir University, said on behalf of the student group.
Pointing to Ireland, Norway and Spain’s recognition of Palestine as a state, he said they believe the move will “take other parliaments by storm and all states will soon recognize Palestine.”
“But this is not the end; it is the start of a new world,” Koca added.
In Edirne, students marched with placards reading “Genocide in Gaza,” “Silence is for when children are sleeping, not killed,” and “Türkiye’s universities must stand up.”
In Gaziantep, Abldükadir Göregen, speaking on behalf of a group of protestors, said the Palestinian cause “does not belong to Muslims alone but to all people who have a conscience.”
Israel’s strike came two days after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah.
The ICJ's ruling was issued last week as part of a case brought by South Africa alleging that the Israeli military operation in Gaza amounts to "genocide."
Israel dismissed the ruling, insisting that the court had gotten it wrong.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the airstrike on the tent camp a "tragic accident" but also vowed to push on with the military campaign that aims to destroy Hamas over the Oct. 7 attack and bring home all the hostages.
