İstanbul’s jailed mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, has accused the Turkish government of failing to respond forcefully to Israel’s war in Gaza, saying Ankara has been “weak” and “held back by political calculations.”
İmamoğlu, a senior member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and his party’s presidential candidate for the next election, was detained on March 19 and later arrested on corruption charges criticized as politically motivated. His arrest, widely seen as targeting the biggest political rival to longtime President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2028 presidential election, sparked Turkey’s worst protests in decades.
In a statement on his international X account on Tuesday, İmamoğlu said the destruction and civilian suffering in Gaza demanded an urgent response, referring to an Israeli strike a day earlier on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis that killed five journalists and 15 others.
“This horror unfolds as Gaza’s humanitarian crisis reaches famine levels. Over half a million people are starving. Hundreds of children have already died. No conscience can call this ‘normal,’” he wrote.
At least 20 people were killed yesterday in an Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza. Among the dead are international correspondents from Reuters, AP, Al Jazeera and Middle East Eye. Footage shows a second strike hitting as rescuers tried to save lives.
This horror…
— Ekrem İmamoğlu (International) (@imamoglu_int) August 26, 2025
He went on to accuse the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of remaining silent in the face of mass civilian deaths.
“Children inside Gaza die of hunger, disease, and neglect. The responsibility lies with all of us,” he said. “Yet our government has remained weak, failing to raise its voice forcefully enough to stop the massacre, held back by political calculations.”
Ankara’s stance under fire
The Turkish government has condemned Israel’s campaign, announced a trade embargo, and said it has been sending humanitarian aid while pushing for diplomacy. But Ankara has faced protests and accusations of continuing trade with Israel despite adopting harsh anti-Israel rhetoric. Erdoğan has repeatedly accused Israel of “genocidal behavior” and compared the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Nazi Germany.
At the same time, Turkish authorities have cracked down on pro-Palestinian activists. Many have been detained for protesting what they describe as Ankara’s continued trade links with Israel, exposing a gap between rhetoric and policy.
This ambivalence was also evident internationally. At the July 15–16 Emergency Conference on Palestine in Bogotá, Colombia, Turkey backed the political declaration but initially withheld support for a six-point action plan. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan cited legal concerns tied to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which Turkey has not ratified due to disputes with Greece in the Aegean. He said restrictions on port access and maritime transit could undermine Ankara’s legal position.
After facing domestic backlash, Ankara reversed course and on July 29 endorsed the measures, becoming the first nation to formally sign on to the joint declaration.
Warnings of famine
İmamoğlu also echoed UN warnings, describing Gaza’s humanitarian crisis as a “man-made disaster.”
“For the people condemned to hunger in Gaza, we must together, government and opposition alike, raise a stronger, united voice. For humanity, for conscience, for the right of children to live, this call must be heard,” he said.
On August 22 the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), an international body that assesses food emergencies, declared famine in parts of the Gaza Governorate, which includes Gaza City. The IPC defines famine as a situation in which at least one in five households suffers extreme food shortages, leading to critical levels of malnutrition and death.
Monday’s hospital attack came two weeks after six journalists were killed in another Israeli strike near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Israel does not allow international news organizations to freely enter Gaza.
Toll of war
More than 240 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since the war began on October 7, 2023, according to the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate.
Israel launched its campaign after a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, that killed 1,206 people and led to the taking of about 250 hostages.
The Gaza health ministry says more than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the conflict began.