ISTANBUL: Tens of thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of Istanbul on Monday, participating in a protest against Israel’s military aggressions in Gaza and expressing outrage over the killing of Turkish soldiers by outlawed Kurdish militants in Iraq.
The rally, organized by a foundation that includes Bilal Erdogan, the son of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, among its members, commenced after morning prayers at Istanbul’s iconic mosques, including Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
Protesters, waving Turkish and Palestinian flags, marched to the Galata Bridge on the Bosphorus, chanting slogans such as “Murderer Israel, get out of Palestine” and “Allahu Akbar”. The gathering, named “Mercy for our martyrs and a curse on Israel,” drew tens of thousands of participants, according to the official Anadolu news agency.
Erdogan Criticizes Israel
President Erdogan has consistently criticized Israel for the scale of death and destruction due to the Israeli military’s relentless bombardments since October 7. Erdogan has accused Israel of “state terrorism” and likened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler.
The nearly three-month-long Israeli bombardments in Gaza have resulted in widespread devastation and a death toll of at least 21,978 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
The Turkish army confirmed that 12 soldiers were killed in late December in separate attacks by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq. Turkey has been conducting regular ground and air operations in northern Iraq against the PKK, designated as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies.
