Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan has highlighted the role of women journalists in documenting events in Gaza, which faces Israeli attacks despite an October ceasefire, praising them as symbols of “wisdom and courage.”
In a post on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal, Erdogan on Wednesday said the “heroic women journalists” who risked their lives to expose the genocide in Gaza were bringing “the voice of truth out of the darkness.”
“Every record they take, every word they speak, every step they take is a breath of truth tearing apart the veil cast by oppression,” she said.
Erdogan added that keeping their work alive and carrying their legacy into the future is “the most noble responsibility we have undertaken on behalf of humanity.”
Her remarks came after the “Women Witnesses of Genocide: Media and Resistance in Gaza” program held on Tuesday at the Communications Directorate in Ankara.
Israel was responsible for nearly half of all 67 journalists killed this year worldwide, with 29 Palestinian reporters slain by its forces in Gaza, Reporters Without Borders said in its annual report.
Israeli forces accounted for 43 percent of the total, making them "the worst enemy of journalists", RSF said in its report, which documented deaths over 12 months from December 2024.
Israel has in total killed nearly 220 journalists since October 7, 2024, making it the biggest killer of journalists worldwide for three years running, RSF data shows.
