Emine Erdogan writes to Melania Trump after the US first lady’s letter to Russian President Putin about children in Ukraine and Russia.
The Turkish first lady, Emine Erdogan, has sent a letter to United States President Donald Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, urging her to contact Israel’s prime minister and raise the issue of Gaza children’s plight.
Emine, the wife of Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, wrote on Friday that she was inspired by the letter Melania sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month about the state of children in Ukraine and Russia.
According to Turkiye’s state media, Emine said the sentiments expressed in the American first lady’s letter to Putin reflected a conscience deeply attuned to global issues.
Erdogan praised Melania’s stance, writing, “As you stated in your letter, every child has the universal and undeniable right to grow up in a loving and safe environment.”
“This right is not exclusive to any region, ethnicity, religion, or ideology. Supporting the oppressed who are denied this right is a fundamental responsibility towards the human family.
“In this context, especially as the spouse of a leader, your compassion for the lives lost, families torn apart, and children left orphaned under the devastating effects of the war in Ukraine is an initiative that instills hope in hearts,” she wrote.
According to the US media, Melania, addressing President Putin, wrote: “Every child shares the same quiet dreams in their heart, whether born randomly into a nation’s rustic countryside or a magnificent city-center. They dream of love, possibility, and safety from danger.”
“I believe that you will demonstrate this important sensitivity, which you have shown for the 648 Ukrainian children who lost their lives in the war, even more strongly for Gaza, where 62,000 innocent civilians, including 18,000 children, were brutally murdered within two years,” Emine added.
Famine confirmed
A global hunger monitor determined on Friday that Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine, and it will likely spread, escalating pressure on Israel to allow more aid into the Palestinian territory.
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This came after months of Israeli curbs on the entry of aid into Gaza – home to more than two million Palestinians, most of whom have been displaced multiple times during the 22 months of Israel’s brutal war. Aid agencies have blamed Israel for the famine and have called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow the entry of aid, waiting outside Gaza’s border.
Netanyahu has dismissed the United Nations declaration of famine as an “outright lie”.
Israel’s war on Gaza, which started after Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians. It has devastated vast swaths of the enclave, which has been under an Israeli land, sea and air blockade since 2007.
Multiple human rights organisations have called Israel’s actions in Gaza genocide and called for a ceasefire and the entry of aid into the territory. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes.