 in the wake of Palestinian militant group Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, the pro-government Yeni Şafak daily reported.){kind=link}
İstanbul prosecutors have decided to summon two women who have dual Turkish-Israeli citizenship due to their decision to join the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the wake of Palestinian militant group Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, the pro-government Yeni Şafak daily reported.
Mine Gümüşkaya and Umay Akçay announced on social media following Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel, which left around 1,200 people dead, that they had decided to join the IDF to fight for Israel against Hamas.
In later posts, Gümüşkaya shared a photo of herself in an IDF uniform in Israel, while Akçay said she had returned to Israel and was proud to defend her homeland.
Both women received hate messages on social media, with some Turks saying they do not represent the Turkish people and should never return to Turkey. They accused the women of joining the “baby killers” in the Israeli army.
Criminal complaints were also filed against both women, initially rejected by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, which ruled that there was no reason to investigate the women.
The prosecutor’s office’s decision was later challenged, and prosecutors have decided to summon the women after the determination of their identities and addresses.
According to figures from the press office of the Israeli government, three Turkish citizens, who also have Israeli citizenship, were among the victims of the Hamas’s attacks on Israel on October 7. Turkish authorities have not made any statement regarding the identity of these people nor offered condolences for them.
Jews are one of several minorities officially recognized in Turkey. Turkey at one time had a large Jewish community, but most of its members have left the country over the years.
Anti-Israeli sentiment is running high in Turkey due to the killing of more than 24,000 people, mostly civilians, in Gaza so far in ongoing Israeli air and ground attacks on the Palestinian enclave.
Unlike many NATO allies, the European Union and some Gulf states, Turkey does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, an outspoken supporter of Palestinian cause, frequently meets with Hamas members in public in Turkey and sees them as “liberators” fighting for their land rather than terrorists.
Turkish authorities have become overly sensitive about the Israel-Hamas war. An Israeli footballer in Turkey was detained briefly and forced to leave the country earlier this week for displaying a message about the Israel-Hamas war during a first division match on Sunday.
Sagiv Jehezkel, 28, held up a bandage on his wrist reading “100 days. 7/10” next to a Star of David when he celebrated scoring a goal for Antalyaspor against Trabzonspor on Sunday.