Thousands of people took to the streets in Türkiye's eastern province of Malatya in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people, demanding an end to Israel's ongoing attacks, blockade and starvation policy against the besieged Gaza Strip.

Organized by the Jerusalem Brotherhood Platform in response to the Palestinian resistance's call to "Save Gaza," the march was held under the slogan "We Are Marching for an End to the Attacks, the Blockade and the Famine."

The demonstrators gathered in front of the former Provincial Directorate of National Education and marched toward the garden of Kernek Karagözlüler Mosque, chanting takbirs and pro-Palestinian slogans while expressing their support for the Palestinian people and their resistance against the Israeli occupation.

Following a Quran recitation by Imam Hatip Ahmet Turan Akın, Hamas official Dr. Wail Faraj addressed the gathering, describing the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and resistance in Gaza as the beginning of a historic transformation for the Islamic world and humanity.

'Gaza's resistance heralds a new era for humanity'

Faraj said the Palestinian resistance was reshaping the political and moral landscape of the Islamic world, adding that the transformation emerging from the blessed land of Palestine would ultimately extend beyond the region.

"I greet with the peace of Allah this great gathering, these people of the cause, who have come together here to support the mujahideen of Gaza and the Palestinians who are about to redraw the map of the Islamic world," he said.

Describing the developments in Palestine as a divinely promised transformation, Faraj said the significance of the blessed land was not confined to a particular geographical region but extended to the entire Islamic Ummah and humanity.

"This transformation, which has emerged from the blessed lands that our Lord has declared blessed, is truly a harbinger and a warning of a new era for humanity," he said.

'Zionists can no longer move freely around the world'

Faraj said the resistance fighters in Gaza had dealt a serious blow to Israel's international standing, exposing the brutality of its policies and weakening the unconditional support it had previously enjoyed in parts of the world.

He described the Palestinian resistance's actions as the first step in a broader transformation, arguing that Israel was increasingly facing international isolation.

"The noble people of Gaza took only one step toward the realization of this promise of Allah for this stage," he said.

He added that the resistance had exposed the true nature of Zionism, even in countries that had traditionally supported Israel.

"The Zionists have become disgraced even in the regions where they were previously supported, and can no longer move freely on earth," Faraj said.

Pointing to growing criticism of Israel across Europe and other parts of the world, he described the shift in international public opinion as a sign of a wider political and moral awakening.

Faraj stressed that the transformation would continue because of Allah's promise, expressing confidence that oppression and injustice would not prevail indefinitely.

'Are Muslims fulfilling their responsibilities toward Palestine?'

Turning his attention to the wider Islamic world, Faraj urged Muslims to examine their responsibilities toward Palestinians who continue to endure Israel's attacks, displacement and blockade.

He said Palestinians and resistance fighters in Gaza were making enormous sacrifices, while Muslims elsewhere needed to question what they were doing to support their brothers and sisters.

"The Muslims and mujahideen in Gaza and Palestine are struggling to fulfill the duty that falls upon them in this regard. But what about the other Muslims, the Muslims living in other regions of the Ummah? Are they truly fulfilling their duties?" he asked.

Faraj called on the Islamic world to move beyond expressions of solidarity and take meaningful action in support of the Palestinian cause.

'Standing with Palestine is a responsibility of the entire Ummah'

Emphasizing the religious and historical significance of Palestine, Faraj reminded the gathering that Muslims were bound together by faith, compassion and solidarity.

He cited the Prophet Muhammad's (peace and blessings be upon him) teaching that believers are like one body, sharing one another's suffering and responding to each other's pain.

"The Islamic Ummah is one whole, and Palestine remained connected to the Ottoman Caliphate until its final moments," he said.

Recalling the Ottoman Empire's historical commitment to Palestine and the stance of Sultan Abdulhamid II, Faraj said the struggle for Palestinian freedom must not be regarded as a temporary concern.

He called on Muslims to make sacrifices comparable to those made by previous generations, stressing that the liberation of Palestine and the restoration of the dignity of the Islamic Ummah depended on continued solidarity.

'Abandoning Palestine means abandoning Al-Aqsa Mosque'

Faraj warned against treating Palestine as merely a territorial or political issue, emphasizing its central place in the faith and collective identity of Muslims.

"Separating from Palestine, leaving Palestine to its fate, means abandoning Turkey. Abandoning Palestine means abandoning Al-Aqsa Mosque. Palestine is not merely a piece of land. For the Islamic Ummah, it is a creed, a belief," he said.

He also drew parallels between the historical challenges faced by the Ottoman state and the political intrigues surrounding Palestine, urging Muslims to understand the Palestinian question within its broader historical context.

'Our brothers in Gaza are enduring immense suffering in tents'

Drawing attention to the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, Faraj spoke about Palestinian families who had lost their homes in Israeli attacks and were now struggling to survive in makeshift tents amid heavy rainfall, freezing temperatures and a severe shortage of basic necessities.

Referring to the recent storms that flooded and damaged displacement shelters, he said the suffering of Palestinians went far beyond what could be conveyed through public speeches.

"You all saw the conditions that your Palestinian brothers, whose homes had been destroyed over their heads in the Zionist attacks, were exposed to in the tents where they were forced to take shelter," he said.

Faraj acknowledged the importance of demonstrations, public statements and gatherings in raising awareness but insisted that these expressions of solidarity must be accompanied by concrete efforts.

He warned that Muslims who failed to fulfill their responsibilities toward Palestine would be held accountable before Allah and judged by history.

"We must take action for the Palestinian cause and for all the issues that concern the Islamic Ummah. We must come together and act with one mouth and one heart," he said.

'Two billion Muslims, yet Gaza needs even a bottle of water'

Faraj also condemned the international community's failure to ensure that Palestinians have access to food, clean water, medicine, clothing and adequate shelter despite the enormous resources available in the world.

Criticizing Israel's continued restrictions on humanitarian assistance, he questioned how the world's Muslim population could remain unable to meet even the most basic needs of Palestinians in Gaza.

"Think about it: while that thief, that usurper, that terrorist network they call Israel, which has seized our lands, has every kind of means, every kind of technology and opportunity, does it not really touch us that in a world of 2 billion Muslims, Gaza needs bread, water, medicine, clothing, and shelter?" he said.

"Think about it right now: it is said that there are more than 2 billion Muslims in this world, yet Muslims cannot even leave a bottle of water for Palestine, for Gaza," Faraj added.

'Humanity lies beneath the rubble in Gaza'

Following Faraj's address, Ebubekir Yaşan read a press statement on behalf of the Jerusalem Brotherhood Platform, condemning the ongoing genocide in Gaza and calling on people around the world not to remain silent in the face of Israel's atrocities.

Yaşan said the gathering was organized to stand against oppression and give a voice to Palestinian children, women, fathers and elderly people who have been killed or left to suffer under Israel's attacks and blockade.

"Today we have gathered here to cry out against, to curse, and to declare our side against a tyranny that has become a stain on the face of humanity; to appeal to the world's blind and deaf conscience; and to be the voice of the children, mothers, fathers, and elderly people who have been massacred in Gaza," he said.

Yaşan warned that the world must not become accustomed to genocide, indifference and the suffering of innocent civilians.

He criticized the international community for limiting its response to expressions of sadness while Palestinian children continue to die amid hunger, cold and the destruction of their homes.

"We are only watching and feeling sad about the children of Gaza who are dying of hunger and cold. But we must continue our actions in order to do something," he said.

Concluding his statement with a powerful message, Yaşan declared: "Humanity lies under the rubble in Gaza. We must continue our actions so that we do not become rubble ourselves."

The gathering concluded with a collective prayer for the Palestinian people and all those suffering under oppression, as participants renewed their calls for an end to Israel's attacks and blockade and urged the Islamic world to intensify its support for Gaza. (ILKHA)