Turkey’s first lady urges Melania Trump to speak out on Gaza’s children
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A Palestinian boy holding an empty pot as he waits with others to receive cooked rice at a charity kitchen in Gaza City on Aug 23.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
- Emine Erdogan urged Melania Trump to advocate for Gaza's children, referencing her concern for Ukrainian children.
- Erdogan highlights global recognition of Palestine, suggesting Melania Trump's call would fulfil a historic duty.
- This comes after a hunger monitor report and Netanyahu's denial of causing starvation in Gaza, triggered by war on 7 Oct 2023.
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ISTANBUL - Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan has written to US President Donald Trump’s wife, Mrs Melania Trump, and urged her to contact Israel’s prime minister and raise the plight of children in Gaza, authorities in Ankara said on Aug 23.
Mrs Erdogan wrote that she had been inspired by the letter Mrs Trump sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin
“I have faith that the important sensitivity you have shown for the 648 Ukrainian children... will be extended to Gaza as well,” Mrs Erdogan wrote in the letter dated Aug 22 that was published by the Turkish presidency.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“These days, when the world is experiencing a collective awakening and the recognition of Palestine has become a global will. I believe that your call on behalf of Gaza would fulfil a historic responsibility toward the Palestinian people,” Mrs Erdogan’s letter added.
A global hunger monitor determined
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed that report as an “outright lie”, and said Israel had a policy of preventing not causing starvation.
The Gaza war was triggered on Oct 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people
Since then, Israel's military campaign has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians,
A 2019 photo shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine (both right) visiting US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania at the White House.
PHOTO: REUTERS
