Protest in Istanbul to Condemn Trump’s Plans to Occupy Gaza

Members of the Felicity Party protested in Istanbul’s "Beyazıt Square" against U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans to displace Gaza’s residents and occupy the region.

The protesters carried a banner that read "Gaza cannot be evacuated" and chanted slogans against the United States and Israel.

The head of the Felicity Party’s Istanbul branch, Togrul Yalçın Kaya, stated during the protest that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza over the course of 467 days.

He emphasized that Israeli forces ignored all international laws, killing more than 50,000 Palestinians, including women, children, and the elderly.

He also mentioned that hospitals, schools, and places of worship were targeted by the Israeli army in front of the world’s eyes, expressing his outrage at the U.S. president’s plan to evacuate Gaza.

Kaya explained that every country and leadership should take a clear stance against Trump’s statements, and that Gaza’s future should be decided only by the Palestinians in the region.

Trump had previously announced during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House that he intended to occupy Gaza and expel Palestinians from there.

Trump is promoting a plan to relocate Gaza’s Palestinians to neighboring countries like Egypt and Jordan, which has been rejected by those countries, with other Arab nations and regional and international organizations also opposing the plan.

With U.S. support, Israel committed genocide in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and January 19, 2025, causing over 159,000 casualties, including both dead and injured Palestinians, mostly women and children, with over 14,000 people still missing.