The protest began on Saturday as people marched from Sultanahmet Square to Eminonu in Istanbul, carrying Palestinian and Turkish flags. With fervent chants and banners, tens of thousands demanded an end to the campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing Israel has been carrying out in Gaza.

People of all ages from different regions of the country participated in the protest, filling the streets with passionate voices united in their mission to stand up for justice and solidarity with the war-torn city.

18-year old high school student Halegul Kurtas was one of them. She came to the march with brochures listing brands that support the occupation, and distributed them to the attendees in an effort to encourage boycotts.

“Our presence here is to express our support for our Palestinian brothers and sisters, to make our stance clear, and to revive the dormant consciousness of humanity through this march. I will always be standing with Palestine,” she tells TRT World.

50-year-old Cemal Kilic, who resides in Australia, shared his sense of fulfilment for actively participating in both protests in Australia and the demonstration here in Türkiye, emphasising the significance of showing solidarity across borders.

“I’ve been in Istanbul for six weeks. In Australia, we have been protesting in the city centre every week since this massacre began. I attended 12 of them, maybe 80,000 to 100,000 people gather every week,” he says.

“Today, we are here to make our voices heard to the world against Israel’s oppression. We cannot do anything physically, but we would like to be the voice of the Palestinian people at least,” Kilic adds as a group carrying a banner reading “Stop killing children!” passes by.

‘The US is complicit’

Amidst the crowd, numerous slogans criticising Washington echoed, chanting “The US is complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza”.

Another protester, 25-year-old psychologist Safiyegul Dokmez, says: “As a human being, irrespective of religion, language, or race, we are here to support the Palestinian people.”

“There is an increasing oppression by Tel Aviv day by day, and while we expect more support worldwide, some countries, led by the US, are turning a blind eye to Palestine.”

55-year-old retiree Sevil Karagoz also expresses her views on the ongoing crisis: “For over four months now, Israel has been perpetrating genocide and massacres against the Palestinian people.”

“The US is complicit in this ethnic cleansing through its arms aid and support. The US bears just as much responsibility for this genocide as Israel,” she says.

“As individuals, what else can we do? We protest, we boycott, we exert every effort, and we demand the opening of the Rafah border crossing. We stand for the liberation of the Palestinian people,” Karagoz adds.

As Israel’s military operations in Rafah intensify, displaced civilians trapped by Israeli fire face imminent danger, exacerbating the already devastating toll of death and suffering inflicted upon the Palestinian people by Tel Aviv.

Holding banners in support of Palestinians in Gaza, teacher Fadime Karaaslan tells TRT World “I joined this resistance because I am human. I came here to support our Palestinian brothers and sisters, regardless of any race or religion. We are humans first and foremost, and then we belong to the ummah.”

There were also participants from other countries in the march. 38-year-old Hend Elshafeey from Egypt was one of them.

“I am so proud of the Palestinian people and their resistance against the Zionist occupation,” Elshafeey says, adding: “We must raise our voice so that it can be echoed all over the world. We must extend all possible support to our brothers and sisters in Gaza.”

Worldwide protests

In response to Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza, the “Global Day of Action” is being observed worldwide.

Over 100 cities in more than 45 countries on six continents have announced their participation in the day of action, and many more are expected to join.

Activists are taking to the streets in Istanbul, Washington, Sydney, Seoul and other cities in response to the escalating humanitarian crisis in Rafah, southern Gaza.

Last month, UK-based Palestine solidarity group The Palestinian Forum in Britain (PFB) had urged people in countries and cities worldwide to join a global day of action on February 17 in solidarity with Palestinians in the war-torn city.

“This international initiative aims to shed light on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and advocate for the freedom and rights of Palestinians,” it said in a statement.

The Palestine Initiative Platform assumed the role of organising the marches throughout Türkiye. The platfom had announced the march scheduled for Saturday, February 17, in a statement.

“We march for Gaza! February 17, 2024, is declared as the ‘Global Day of Action’ worldwide! We march simultaneously with the entire world for Gaza, where the genocide continues, and hundreds of people are killed every day! We await your participation,” the statement read.

Israel has pounded Gaza since a cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7, believed to have killed around 1,200 Israelis.

The ensuing Israeli attacks have killed at least 28,858 Palestinians in besieged Gaza, injuring more than 68,677 others and causing mass destruction to critical infrastructure.

Israel is facing accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

The event involved the participation of 308 non-governmental organizations (NGOs). After the morning prayers at Hagia Sophia Mosque, Eminonu New Mosque, Sultanahmet Mosque, and Suleymaniye Mosque on Monday, the participants rallied in the mosque courtyards, offering prayers for the martyrs and Palestinians who lost their lives in Israeli attacks.

The participants assembled in Hagia Sophia Square after the prayers and chanted slogans such as “Martyrs never die, the homeland will not be divided,” “Collaborator traitors will be held accountable, killer Israel will be held accountable,” “Killer Israel, get out of Palestine,” “Our blood, our lives sacrificed for Al Aqsa,” and “Greetings to Hamas, resistance will continue.”

The Youth and Sports Minister Osman Askin Bak, former Turkish parliament speaker Mustafa Sentop, and the president of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for the Dissemination of Knowledge and a member of the High Advisory Board of TUGVA, Bilal Erdogan, were among the participants.

Prayers were also offered for the 12 Turkish soldiers killed in the Claw-Lock Operation zone in northern Iraq and for those killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza.

After the prayers, the participants began marching towards the Galata Bridge, carrying signs in Turkish, Arabic, and English.