The Ankara Palestine Solidarity Platform (ANFİDAP) has thrown its full weight behind the Global Sumud Flotilla, declaring it a “beacon of humanity” against the Israeli regime’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.

In a press conference marked by emotion, urgency, and determination, ANFİDAP condemned the deliberate destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system and called for immediate global solidarity to break the siege.

The event, held at the Ümmet Movement’s Crisis Center, brought together academics, doctors, civil society representatives, and citizens united under one cause: the defense of Gaza’s right to live. Statements were delivered in three languages—Turkish, English, and Arabic—underscoring the international dimension of the struggle. A poignant message from Gaza by Dr. Nagham Abu Hamile provided a direct voice from the besieged territory.

“This is not war—it is genocide”

Prof. Dr. Furkan Erol Karabekmez, who read the Turkish version of the statement, painted a grim picture of Gaza’s collapse under continuous Israeli assault. He emphasized that since October 2023, nearly 70,000 Palestinians have been killed, with 166,795 others injured, including tens of thousands of children.

“This is not a war or an occupation,” Karabekmez declared. “It is a systematic operation to erase a people’s right to life, health, and dignity. This is genocide, and silence in the face of it is complicity.”

The platform detailed the Israeli regime’s deliberate targeting of medical infrastructure: hospitals razed to rubble, ambulances bombed, doctors assassinated, and health workers massacred. At least 1,500 aid workers and medical staff have been killed in the past three years. Since March 2024, 340 healthcare professionals have lost their lives, while 349 people—including 92 children and 73 under five years old—have died of hunger in just eight months.

“Hospitals like Al-Ahli Arab, Al-Aqsa, and Abu Shifa operate under siege, facing threats of evacuation and bombardment. Surgeries have halted. Chemotherapy and chronic disease treatments are nearly impossible. Even baby formula has run out. Hunger in Gaza is not only about food—it is about the collapse of medical care,” Karabekmez noted.

Global Sumud Flotilla: A Coalition of Conscience

Amid this catastrophe, the Global Sumud Flotilla emerges as a renewed lifeline. Carrying volunteers, doctors, food, and urgently needed medical supplies, the flotilla gathers participants from 47 countries, forming what ANFİDAP described as “a coalition of the virtuous.”

“This flotilla is not just a convoy of ships,” the platform emphasized. “It is the living conscience of humanity. Every box aboard carries not only medicine but also hope; every volunteer represents a stand against oppression.”

The flotilla’s name, Sumud—Arabic for steadfastness—echoes the Palestinian spirit of resilience. For Gaza’s people, the flotilla is more than aid; it is a symbol that they are not abandoned to face extermination alone.

A History of Resistance at Sea

The Global Sumud Flotilla follows in the footsteps of previous humanitarian efforts to break Gaza’s siege, most notably the 2010 Mavi Marmara Freedom Flotilla, when Israeli forces killed 10 Turkish activists in international waters. That massacre shocked the world and exposed the brutality with which Israel defends its blockade.

Despite attempts to suppress such initiatives, flotillas have continued to sail, carrying aid and bearing witness to Gaza’s suffering. Each voyage has drawn global attention, mobilized civil society, and placed the Palestinian question back at the forefront of international conscience. The Sumud Flotilla, with its multinational coalition, represents the most ambitious such effort in years.

Ankara’s Role and Regional Significance

Ankara’s solidarity carries both symbolic and political weight. Türkiye has historically played a central role in supporting Palestinian resistance and exposing Zionist crimes on the global stage. The Ankara Palestine Solidarity Platform, with its mix of academics, activists, and healthcare professionals, adds moral authority to the flotilla’s mission.

By highlighting Gaza’s healthcare collapse, the platform reminds the world that the siege is not merely a political blockade—it is a systematic denial of life itself. Their press conference connected grassroots activism in Türkiye with the broader international movement for Palestinian liberation.

ANFİDAP’s message was clear and uncompromising, calling for an immediate and permanent halt to Israeli attacks, the lifting of all barriers to humanitarian aid, the protection of hospitals, healthcare workers, and ambulances under international law, the urgent initiation of medical evacuations without delay, and the holding of the Zionist regime accountable for genocide.

“Breaking Gaza’s blockade is not the duty of Palestinians alone—it is the shared duty of all humanity,” the statement concluded. “Gaza’s cry is humanity’s test. In this test, we stand with the oppressed, with justice, with humanity, and with the babies dying in Gaza.”

A Gathering of Solidarity

The press conference drew participation from HÜDA PAR Ankara Provincial Chairman Av. Ahmet Karaarslan, alongside representatives of various civil society groups. The event symbolized a growing wave of solidarity in Türkiye, where Gaza’s cause resonates deeply with the public conscience.

As the Global Sumud Flotilla sails toward Gaza, the words from Ankara echo like a pledge: that Gaza will not be forgotten, and that the struggle for its survival is inseparable from the struggle for humanity itself. (ILKHA)