Turkish First Lady urges Melania to raise plight of Gaza’s children

Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan has urged Melania Trump to intervene over the plight of children in Gaza, in a letter released by Ankara on Saturday.

She said she was inspired by a letter the US First Lady had earlier sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin about children in Ukraine and Russia.

“I have faith that the important sensitivity you have shown for the 648 Ukrainian children … will be extended to Gaza as well,” Emine Erdogan wrote in her letter, dated Friday and published by the Turkish presidency.

“These days, when the world is experiencing a collective awakening and the recognition of Palestine has become a global will. I believe that your call on behalf of Gaza would fulfil a historic responsibility toward the Palestinian people,” she added.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The appeal came as a global hunger monitor declared Gaza City and surrounding areas officially in famine, warning it was likely to spread further. The finding has increased pressure on Israel to allow more aid into the enclave.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the report as an “outright lie”, saying Israel had a policy of preventing, not causing, starvation.

The Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted about 250 others, according to Israeli figures. Since then, more than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military campaign, according to Gaza health officials