First Lady Emine Erdoğan of Türkiye emphasised that opposing injustice, lies, discrimination, and genocide against the Palestinian people constituted the highest form of legitimate struggle. The statement was delivered during her participation in the event titled "Women Witnesses to Genocide: Media and Resistance in Gaza," organised by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications. Erdoğan said, "Our martyred Palestinian brothers and sisters lost their lives with hearts full of sorrow for what humanity has become."
Remarking that Israel repeatedly disinformed and deceived the world public through its accomplice media organisations, Erdoğan noted that many people around the world believed these lies and even praised the genocide, adding that universal values such as democracy and human rights became fake slogans when it came to marginalised groups. She expressed her pleasure in hosting Palestinian journalists and reporters, as well as Palestinian film director Basel Adra, who won an Oscar for the documentary film "No Other Land." Erdoğan commended the Palestinian director and his team, emphasising that they have entered history as defenders of the truth. Erdoğan noted that the film “No Other Land” succeeded in presenting the suffering the Palestinian cause endured and the struggle of the Palestinian people to the world, giving the international community the message that the genocide witnessed over the past two years is not a sudden incident but part of a tragedy that has been unfolding on Palestinian lands for a century.
Noting that Israel has killed 300 journalists, including 37 women, over the past two years, Erdoğan said she wanted to begin her speech by mentioning Salma Mukhaimar, one of the journalists who were murdered. He explained that Salma was both a journalist and a mother who lived for 31 years under Israeli bombardment and an inhumane blockade, and that in 2023, after three years apart, she went to visit Gaza, where her home was destroyed in an Israeli strike, killing Salma along with her child Ali, her mother, father, and four siblings. Erdoğan concluded her speech by stressing that Israel seeks to obstruct every path to the truth and deliberately targets journalists, even though international law mandates their protection.