Professor Dr. Vechi Sönmez, a faculty member at Batman University's Faculty of Islamic Sciences, has called on Muslim countries to unite and establish a deterrent force against Israel's ongoing attacks on Palestinians, stressing that the resistance in Gaza continues despite years of bloodshed, destruction and immense suffering.

Speaking to an İLKHA on the third anniversary of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, Sönmez urged the Islamic world to move beyond verbal condemnations and take concrete action in support of the Palestinian people, emphasizing the religious and moral responsibility of Muslims to stand with their oppressed brothers and sisters.

He said the steadfastness of Palestinians in Gaza, who continue to endure relentless attacks and immense hardship, demonstrates their determination to defend their land and resist the Israeli occupation.

'The resistance in Gaza continues'

Sönmez stressed that Muslims must not remain silent in the face of massacres perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian people.

"On the third anniversary of the Gaza massacre, we want to declare that we have not remained silent in the face of the atrocities committed by these enemies of Allah, humanity and Islam," he said.

Referring to the Quranic description of sincere believers who strive in the way of Allah with their wealth and their lives, Sönmez praised the steadfastness of Palestinians who have refused to abandon their homeland despite years of suffering.

"The fact that our brothers and sisters in Gaza have not abandoned their resistance over the years, but have continued their struggle against these oppressive Zionist gangs and enemies of Islam, is admirable," he said.

He added that Palestinians' determination to remain on their land despite pain, persecution and immense hardship was itself a manifestation of resistance and sacrifice.

"The resistance is still continuing. The fact that these people refuse to leave their land and persevere despite every kind of suffering and torture is also a form of jihad and resistance," Sönmez said.

'Support from the Islamic world has remained weak'

Criticizing the response of Muslim-majority countries and the wider Islamic Ummah, Sönmez said the support provided to the Palestinian resistance had fallen far short of what was needed.

He called on Muslims to share the suffering of Palestinians, provide both material and moral assistance, and ensure that the plight of Gaza remains firmly on the international agenda.

Sönmez also criticized the international community over its treatment of the Palestinian cause, noting that developments at the United Nations reflected a profound failure to uphold justice and humanity.

He pointed to the international platform afforded to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite the devastation in Gaza, saying such developments demonstrated how far international institutions had strayed from their declared principles.

The professor urged Muslims to keep the Palestinian cause alive in their hearts, minds and daily lives, warning against allowing the suffering of Gaza's people to fade from public attention.

'A genocide is being carried out in Gaza'

Sönmez said the killing of Palestinians had continued despite ceasefire-related agreements, stressing that children remained among the victims of the ongoing violence.

"Children are being massacred, and a genocide is being carried out. Even Westerners with a conscience are now speaking openly about this. It is clearly evident that genocide is taking place," he said.

He called on the international community to confront the continuing suffering of Palestinians and reject any attempt to normalize the killing of civilians or the forced displacement of people from their homeland.

Sönmez emphasized that the plight of Gaza was not merely a political issue but a test of humanity, conscience and the commitment to justice.

Call for a united Islamic response

Sönmez warned that continued silence in the face of the atrocities in Gaza would represent a serious moral failure for humanity.

"If the world remains silent in the face of this, it truly means that humanity has come to an end and that conscience no longer exists," he said.

He called on the Islamic Ummah to unite urgently and develop a common strategy to confront Israeli aggression, arguing that statements and condemnations alone could not stop the bloodshed.

"Words that remain only in speeches and rhetoric are of no use. Islamic countries must establish a united front and, at the very least, take deterrent measures against Israel," he said.

Sönmez maintained that while an individual country might struggle to exert sufficient pressure on Israel, several Muslim-majority countries acting together could establish a more effective deterrent.

"A country acting alone may not be able to do this, but if several Islamic countries unite, they can achieve it," he said.

He called on leaders of Muslim-majority countries to come together, reject the continued massacres of Palestinians and take concrete steps to protect the Palestinian people.

Call to raise awareness among Muslim youth

Sönmez also stressed the importance of strengthening public awareness of Israel's policies and their implications for the Muslim world.

He called for sustained educational efforts to ensure that younger generations understand the Palestinian cause, the suffering of Gaza's people and the broader regional consequences of Israeli policies.

"A serious process of raising awareness and acquiring knowledge about Israel must also begin within our own societies," he said, urging educators and community leaders to explain to young people and the wider public the dangers posed by the Israeli state's policies toward Muslim-majority countries and Iran.

Concluding his remarks, Sönmez reiterated that solidarity with Palestine must go beyond expressions of sympathy and translate into sustained practical support.

Three years after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, the Palestinian cause remains a central concern for Muslims worldwide, with calls continuing for an end to Israeli aggression, protection for civilians, an end to the occupation and the restoration of the Palestinian people's rights.

For Sönmez, the steadfastness of Gaza's people and the responsibility of the Islamic Ummah to stand beside them remain inseparable: the suffering of Palestine must not be forgotten, and solidarity must be translated into meaningful action. (ILKHA)