Turkish first lady accuses Israel of targeting Gaza journalists

(MENAFN) Türkiye’s First Lady, Emine Erdogan, criticized Israel for deliberately targeting journalists in the Gaza Strip, asserting that the actions aim to suppress the truth.

Speaking at a program organized by the Turkish Communications Directorate titled “Women Witnesses of Genocide: Media and Resistance in Gaza,” Erdogan stated that Israel has killed nearly 300 journalists over the past two years, including 37 women, describing the figures as unprecedented in modern conflict reporting.

Before the event, Erdogan viewed an exhibition displaying photos of journalists who lost their lives and welcomed Palestinian reporters along with filmmaker Basel Adra, whose internationally recognized documentary No Other Land highlights the long-term displacement and violence faced by Palestinians. Erdogan praised Adra’s work for bringing global attention to these issues.

She outlined how Israeli forces have bombed journalists’ homes, targeted reporters with drones even in hospital courtyards, and detained others under harsh conditions, describing these acts as part of “a broader attempt to restrict any documentation of events on the ground.”

“They are placing truth under blockade. Instead of protecting journalists, they disregard international law and norms and deliberately target them,” Erdogan said. She added:
“Consider this: the Israeli army bombed the homes of Palestinian journalists to intimidate them. They wiped them out along with their families and neighbors. Even in hospital courtyards, which should be the safest places, they killed journalists with drones. Those they could not kill were left to die in prisons that have become factories of some of the worst atrocities in history.

“To prevent the truth from reaching the world, Israel carried out a systematic field execution policy. Not satisfied with that, they labeled the journalists they killed ‘terrorists’ to justify their crimes. They shut down the offices of national media outlets such as Al Jazeera, calling them a ‘national threat’.”

Communications Director Burhanettin Duran highlighted the resilience of journalists in Gaza, who continued reporting despite losing family members and colleagues. He also criticized Western media for downplaying or ignoring developments in Gaza, saying:
“Journalists lost their families and colleagues. They went hungry and thirsty, but they never gave up on one thing: delivering the truth to the world and telling the story of Palestine. They succeeded despite everything. Despite the different stances taken by some Western-centered international media outlets, they succeeded.

“These outlets systematically turned into propaganda tools of genocide through disinformation, manipulation, blackout tactics, and false reporting. This did not happen only in conventional media. Supportive actions toward Israel in digital media also became shameful marks in history. Social media companies used algorithms as weapons, building digital walls to silence Palestinian voices.”

Duran acknowledged the efforts of Turkish media, including TRT and Anadolu, for consistently reporting from Gaza and supporting local journalists. He also stressed that the crisis highlighted the importance of national control over digital infrastructure and data systems.

“The Gaza crisis has shown that digital sovereignty is directly connected to national security,”
Duran said, noting Türkiye’s ongoing initiatives to expand domestic platforms and reinforce local data networks.

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