ISTANBUL: Turkey’s First Lady Emine Erdogan has formally requested her American counterpart Melania Trump to demonstrate equal concern for Palestinian children in Gaza as she has shown for Ukrainian children.
In a letter delivered on Saturday, Erdogan specifically asked the US First Lady to write directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealing for mercy towards Gaza’s children.
This diplomatic appeal follows Erdogan’s recent presentation of a similar letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Alaska Summit earlier this month, where she urged peace in Ukraine for children’s welfare.
The Turkish First Lady wrote: “I have faith that the important sensitivity you have shown for the 648 Ukrainian children who have lost their lives in the war will be extended to Gaza as well.”
She further detailed the devastating human cost, stating: “In the span of two years, 62,000 innocent civilians, including 18,000 children, have been brutally killed.”
Emine Erdogan personally appealed: “As a mother, as a woman, and as a human being, I deeply share the sentiments expressed in your letter, and I hope that you will give the same hope to the children of Gaza, who also yearn for peace and tranquillity.”
This initiative occurs amid President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ongoing efforts to mediate between Russia and Ukraine during their prolonged conflict now entering its fourth year.
President Erdogan recently accused Israel of employing hunger as a weapon in Gaza, comparing the situation to historical atrocities by stating the images were worse than “Nazi camps”.
The United Nations officially declared a famine in Gaza last Friday, although Prime Minister Netanyahu immediately dismissed this declaration as a “blatant lie”. – AFP
