Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has hailed a massive pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul on New Year’s Day as a “historic moment,” saying it sent a clear message that “Palestine is not alone.”
“What this Pharaoh called (Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu has done will not go unpunished, because he incurred the curses of countless oppressed people, from the young to the old,” he said on Friday.
Condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza and the worsening humanitarian situation there, the Turkish president said: “The suffering of children in Gaza, living in makeshift tents amid wind and rain, will not go unanswered, and Netanyahu will not avoid being held accountable.”
Turkish President and his US counterpart Donald Trump are set to speak by phone on Monday, the Turkish leader said after Friday prayers.
"We will have another discussion with US President Donald Trump on Monday," Erdogan said in Istanbul, adding that the call would be in the afternoon.
‘We won’t forget Palestine’
Around 520,000 people gathered early on Thursday on New Year’s Day at Istanbul’s Galata Bridge for a massive march in support of Palestine, organised under the umbrella of the Humanity Alliance and the National Will Platform.
The demonstration, held with the participation of more than 400 civil society organisations and led by the Turkish Youth Foundation (TUGVA), was carried out under the slogan “We won’t cower, we won’t keep quiet, we won’t forget Palestine.”
Participants called for an end to the genocide in Gaza.
Israel killed more than 71,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, during its genocidal war on Gaza which began in October 2023 and destroyed the enclave. A ceasefire took effect in October 2025, but Israeli violations have continued.
