Turkey’s First Lady Urges Melania Trump to Show Gaza’s Children the Same Care as Ukraine’s

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Turkey’s First Lady Emine Erdogan has appealed to her U.S. counterpart, Melania Trump, to extend the same compassion she has shown for Ukrainian children to those suffering in Gaza.

In a letter sent on Saturday, Emine Erdogan urged the U.S. First Lady to write to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and call for mercy toward Gaza’s children.

“I have faith that the important sensitivity you have shown for the 648 Ukrainian children who have lost their lives in the war will be extended to Gaza as well, where, in the span of two years, 62,000 innocent civilians, including 18,000 children, have been brutally killed,” she wrote, in a letter published on the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency.

Earlier this month, the U.S. First Lady delivered a letter at the Alaska Summit to Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to seek peace in Ukraine for the sake of children.

“As a mother, as a woman, and as a human being, I deeply share the sentiments expressed in your letter, and I hope that you will give the same hope to the children of Gaza, who also yearn for peace and tranquillity,” Emine Erdogan added.

Ankara’s Mediation Efforts

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly attempted to mediate between Russia and Ukraine since the war began, now entering its fourth year. Ankara has positioned itself as a regional broker, maintaining ties with both Moscow and Kyiv.

On Tuesday, Erdogan intensified his criticism of Israel, accusing it of using hunger as a weapon in Gaza. He said the images emerging from the Palestinian enclave were worse than those from “Nazi camps.”

His comments came just days before the United Nations officially declared a famine in Gaza on Friday, a determination Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected as a “blatant lie.”

Humanitarian Concerns in Gaza and Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has killed thousands and displaced millions since the start of Russia’s military operations in Ukraine in 2022, with children among the most vulnerable victims. The U.N. says hundreds of minors have been killed and many more injured or separated from their families.

In Gaza, more than 62,000 people, including at least 18,000 children, have been killed over the past two years, according to figures cited by Emine Erdogan. The conflict has sparked a growing humanitarian outcry, with aid agencies warning of catastrophic levels of hunger and the collapse of essential services.

Turkey has been outspoken in advocating for Gaza and pushing for ceasefire efforts, positioning itself as both a critic of Israel and a voice for Palestinian rights. The First Lady’s letter to Melania Trump reflects Ankara’s strategy of using moral and humanitarian appeals to mobilize international figures in support of Gaza’s civilians.