A coalition of 15 Turkish non-governmental organizations under the Palestine Solidarity Platform will hold a torchlit march in Istanbul on Saturday to protest Israel’s ongoing attacks and blockade on Gaza and to raise public awareness about the worsening humanitarian crisis.
The demonstration, held under the slogan "Be a Light of Hope for Gaza," will begin after evening prayers at Beyazıt Square and continue on foot to the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, the organizers announced during a news conference at the headquarters of the Human and Civilization Movement (IMH) in Istanbul.
Platform Chair Mehmet Güney emphasized that the march is not a routine event but a moral stance in solidarity with Palestinians resisting occupation and starvation.
“We are standing with people defending their homeland. We invite everyone to declare their support for those who resist death and hunger,” he said.
Reading the group’s official statement, Salih Ince said the march is not only a protest but a call to humanity in a time of historic darkness. “This is about sharing moral responsibility as the world witnesses systematic starvation and war crimes in Gaza,” he said.
He noted that Israel’s blockade of Gaza, intensified after Oct. 7, is part of a deliberate strategy to deny Palestinians access to food, medicine, electricity, and clean water — all in violation of international law.
“Israel’s policies are not random but calculated acts of collective punishment,” Ince added. “Hospitals, mosques, and even playgrounds are being targeted. Children are starving. The sick are dying without medicine. Civilians gathering at aid distribution points are being shot at. This is not war—it’s genocide.”
Ince condemned the silence of Western governments, accusing some of complicity. “As so-called civilized countries remain silent or openly support these crimes, it falls to the conscience of the people to raise their voice,” he said.
Bilal Erdoğan, the Chair of the Ilim Yayma Vakfı (The Foundation for the Expansion of Knowledge), urged public participation in the march.
“We call on all citizens to join us Saturday evening. The world needs to see powerful images of solidarity from Istanbul,” he said.
He reiterated the call for an effective boycott against Western brands complicit in supporting Israel and stressed the need for collective pressure on decision-makers in the West.
“It’s not just about Israel—Western governments have the power to stop this genocide if they want to,” Erdoğan said. “For a nation that once suffered genocide to now commit one — that is the darkest irony of all.”
Erdoğan also criticized Western media and social media platforms for censorship and bias. “There’s a dominant capital-backed narrative that suppresses voices of conscience. Many humanitarian posts are removed or shadow-banned. This is the dark side of the 21st century,” he said, urging greater digital awareness and media literacy.
Hasan Turan, head of the Türkiye-Palestine Parliamentary Friendship Group and a lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), echoed calls for global action. “No one in a world of 8 billion should die for lack of food or water. We must not remain silent while an entire nation is starved and shot at in full view of the world,” he said.
The march on Aug. 9 aims to send a message of resistance and solidarity, piercing through the darkness of Gaza’s suffering with a symbolic light of hope.
Israel’s genocidal military response has killed more than 61,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities, and turned Gaza, one of the world’s most densely populated areas, into a sea of ruins, with many feared buried beneath the rubble.
