ISTANBUL (AFP) – Tens of thousands marched in Istanbul yesterday to protest Israel’s war in Gaza and the killing of Turkish soldiers by outlawed militants in Iraq.
The rally, called by a foundation which counts Bilal Erdogan, the son of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, among its members started after crowds performed morning prayers at Istanbul’s iconic mosques, including Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
Protesters waving Turkish and Palestinian flags rallied to the Galata Bridge on the Bosphorus chanting: “Israel, get out of Palestine”.
Tens of thousands of people joined the rally “Mercy for our martryrs”, the official Anadolu news agency reported.
Erdogan, a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, has lashed out repeatedly at Israel for the scale of death and destruction caused by its response to Hamas’ October 7 cross-border attack.
The Turkish army said 12 soldiers were killed in late December in two separate attacks launched by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.
Turkiye regularly conducts ground and air operations in northern Iraq against the positions of the PKK.
