Dicle University students rally against Israeli genocide in Gaza

The demonstration took place on the university campus, with participants calling attention to the perceived threats posed by Israel's actions in neighboring countries, including Türkiye.

The march, which began in front of the Faculty of Theology and ended at the Faculty of Science, included a press statement delivered by Yakup Kaya, representing student organizations. Kaya highlighted the ongoing violence in Gaza, which began with Operation Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023, and condemned what he described as the "Zionist occupation regime's" continued "massacres and genocides" against the Palestinian people.

In his statement, Kaya described Operation Aqsa Flood, led by Hamas, as a pivotal moment in the fight against Israeli occupation. He claimed the operation aimed to end 75 years of occupation and liberate key religious sites, including Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque. Kaya asserted that since 1948, more than 200,000 Palestinians have been killed, and thousands have been displaced due to Israeli actions.

“The Aqsa Flood Operation was a milestone against all these atrocities,” Kaya said, emphasizing the symbolic importance of the operation as a response to decades of occupation.

Kaya also raised concerns over Israel’s broader regional ambitions, warning that its expansionist policies could target neighboring countries beyond Palestine and Lebanon. He cautioned that if no action is taken, countries such as Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran could also face threats.

“The Zionist occupation regime has moved its genocide and occupation policies out of Gaza. Yesterday Gaza, today Lebanon, tomorrow Türkiye, Syria, Iraq, and Iran,” Kaya warned, calling for regional unity to counter Israeli aggression.

The student leader urged Türkiye and other regional countries to take a stronger stance against Israel, suggesting that the Turkish government must stop relying on Western support to address the crisis. Instead, Kaya called for the establishment of a regional intervention force to confront what he described as Israeli expansionism.

“We must unite against this oppression. Concrete steps must be taken to stop the Zionist occupation,” he said, adding that Western countries, in his view, were complicit in the ongoing violence by providing military and logistical support to Israel.

Kaya presented several demands, including boycotts of products linked to Israel, sanctions against Turkish citizens who support Israel’s military actions, and support for Hamas' call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. He also urged Dicle University’s administration to ban the sale of products from companies that he claimed are complicit in the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

“As Muslim Youth of Dicle University, we will continue to defend the cause of Jerusalem with determination until the Zionist occupation regime is thrown into the sea and wiped off the map,” Kaya concluded. (ILKHA)