Turkiye: March In Istanbul Demanding the End of the Israeli Occupation
Tens of thousands of people took part in a protest march in Istanbul on Saturday calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of Gaza. Photo: TRT World News
August 9, 2025 Hour: 6:34 pm
Tens of thousands of people participated this Saturday in a protest march in Istanbul for the end of the Israeli occupation of Gaza, on a day in which similar demonstrations took place in several European capitals such as London, Paris, and Madrid.
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The protesters, called together by various humanitarian organizations, began the march at 9:00 p.m. (local time, 6:00 p.m. GMT) under the slogan “Be a light of hope for Gaza.”
From the starting point in Beyazit Square, in the historic center of the city, they walked to the basilica, now the Hagia Sophia mosque, just over a kilometer away, chanting slogans such as “Israel murders, get out of Palestine,” “The children of Gaza are waiting for us,” and “The Zionist murderers will pay for their crime.”
Among the participants were Ali Erbas, leader of the Diyanet, a public body equivalent to a Ministry of Religion, the highest Islamic authority in Turkey, and Bilal Erdogan, son of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and leader of one of the convening civic organizations.
Turkey has strongly condemned Israel’s announced plans to militarily occupy the entire city of Gaza and has asked the United Nations Security Council to agree on a binding resolution to end the war.
Ankara insists that the solution to the conflict must involve an immediate ceasefire and negotiations leading to the two-state solution, that is, the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, neighboring Israel, with its capital in East Jerusalem.
Turkey has strongly condemned Israel’s plan to occupy Gaza City, calling it an expansion of a “genocidal” and expansionist policy. It demands a binding resolution from the UN Security Council to stop Israel and urges the international community to prevent this action that seeks to expel Palestinians and make Gaza uninhabitable. Ankara accuses Netanyahu of genocide and calls for an immediate ceasefire to negotiate a two-state solution.
Source: EFE
