One protestor has died, five were detained and dozens were injured in protests that erupted in İstanbul and across Turkey due to a strike on a hospital in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza on Tuesday evening, which claimed hundreds of lives.
The strike on Al Ahli Arab Hospital in the middle of Gaza City which health officials there said killed at least 500 people has provoked outrage and condemnation from Turkey as well as around the world, with protests on the streets of İstanbul, Ankara, Adana and many other cities.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which runs the territory, accused Israel of being behind the strike. The Israeli army blamed it on a misfired rocket by Hamas ally the Islamic Jihad, which has described the accusations as “lies.”
The protestors, who took to the streets in Turkey, blamed Israel for the attack. They attacked the Israeli Consulate General in İstanbul and shouted slogans against Israel and the United States, which they accused of backing Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza where more than 3,000 civilians have been killed since Oct. 7.
The İstanbul Governor’s Office announced in a statement on Wednesday that a 65-year-old man who had heart attack during the protests in front of the Israeli Consulate General died at a hospital he was taken to.
Altercations broke out between police and protesters when several demonstrators tried to get through security barricades to enter the consulate building.
Five protestors who attacked the police were detained, according to the statement.
The protestors attacked the consulate and surrounding buildings with fireworks, rocks and other objects. Police used pepper spray to disperse the protestors.
“Murderer Israel, get out of Palestine,” chanted the protestors.
A crowd gathered overnight before Israeli consulate in Istanbul, #Turkey, were seen shooting fireworks towards the building. pic.twitter.com/xMi4S6l3MU
— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) October 18, 2023
The governor’s office said a total of 63 people, 43 of whom are police officers, were injured during the protests in İstanbul.
“We were deeply saddened to be obliged to make this intervention at a time when we are mourning [the deaths in Gaza],” the governor’s office said.
In the Turkish capital of Ankara, several NGOs and representatives from the Felicity Party (SP), the radical Islamist Free Cause Party (HÜDA-PAR) and the Gelecek (Future) Party gathered in front of the Israeli Embassy in protest of what they called its attack on the Gaza hospital.
They issued a press statement condemning Israel for its “occupation of the Palestinian land” and accused the country of committing a genocide against Palestinians. The statement said Israel’s actions in Gaza go far beyond the genocide perpetrated by Hitler against the Jews.
Saadet-Gelecek Grubu Milletvekillerimiz İsrail Büyükelçiliği önünde basın açıklaması gerçekleştirdi. pic.twitter.com/23bztWxWou
— Saadet Partisi (@SaadetPartisi) October 17, 2023
In the southern province of Adana, rocks and Molotov cocktails were thrown at the US Consulate building as a crowd attempted to breach the compound. The crowd shouted slogans for the Islamic Caliphate.
Two police officers were injured during the protest in Adana.
Adana is home to İncirlik Airbase, where airmen from the US Air Force are deployed to defend NATO’s southern flank.
Stones, molotov cocktails were thrown at the US consulate building in Turkey's Adana province as a crowd attempted to breach the compound. The crowd chants for Islamic Caliphate.
The US Air Force 39th Air Base Wing stationed in same province to defend NATO's southern flank. pic.twitter.com/1B93mdC10V
— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) October 18, 2023
People also took to the streets in other cities such as Bingöl, Sinop, Edirne and Tekirdağ, where they condemned Israeli attacks on civilians in Gaza.
Israel has been conducting retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched thousands of rockets from Gaza and its militants stormed into Israel and attacked civilians in border towns. The terrorists massacred at least 1,400 people in Israel.
Days of bombing by Israel has brought Gaza’s essential services to the brink of collapse, with rights groups warning of a humanitarian disaster.