Organized by the Al Quds Brotherhood Platform, the protest took place after Friday prayers in the garden of Kernek Karagözlüler Mosque, where the community voiced their distress over the devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza and condemned the international silence on the issue.
The protest began with a recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by a symbolic funeral prayer for those martyred in Gaza. Bilal Karaduman, speaking on behalf of the Al Quds Brotherhood Platform, read a powerful statement that denounced the Israeli regime’s actions, calling them a “new massacre” inflicted daily on Gaza’s besieged population.
Karaduman condemned the Israeli regime’s military offensive in Gaza, which has recently focused on the Jibaliye region. Here, Israeli forces reportedly martyred more than 150 civilians in a brutal display of aggression. He asserted that civilians in Jibaliye and other areas are blockaded and subjected to inhumane treatment, with no access to critical resources or safe passage to humanitarian aid. "This ongoing genocide against Palestinians continues unabated because of the silence and impotence of leaders in Islamic countries," Karaduman emphasized. "If these conditions persist, the massacres will not stop."
Karaduman also addressed the geopolitical implications, warning Islamic nations that their own safety is at stake if they do not act decisively against Israel's policies. "Muslim rulers who remain silent or only offer words without action should understand that if they don’t oppose Israel, eventually it will be their own nations that suffer," he stated. He further cautioned that unless Zionism is confronted and halted, its expansionist ideology could destabilize the broader Islamic world.
The Al Quds Brotherhood Platform called on leaders of Islamic countries to adopt a more resolute stance. Their demands include halting the flow of resources from Muslim-majority countries to Israel, closing Israeli embassies in Islamic capitals, and cutting all diplomatic and economic ties with Israel. Karaduman advocated for establishing an Islamic Peace Force and an Islamic Union to counter the occupation. "The language Israel’s leadership understands is power. The response they need is unity and strength from the Islamic world," he urged.
The protest in Malatya reflects a growing call among people in Türkiye and beyond for more than just words of sympathy from the global community. Protesters insisted that the time has come for collective Islamic action that would demonstrate unequivocal solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, who are now enduring what protestors labeled a deliberate and unceasing genocide. (ILKHA)