An open letter from Dr. Sahr Hamad, director of the Kemal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, appealed to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to move from rhetoric to action in support of Palestinians.
The text, shared on X on August 19 by Palestinian journalist Mohammad AbuTaqiya, asks Turkey to help form an international and Islamic front to “support Palestine, its people and its resistance” through practical measures.
Gazze – Kemal Advan Hastanesi Müdürü Dr. Sahr Hamad’dan Cumhurbaşkanı Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’a yeni mektup;
Sevgili Kardeşim, Sayın Cumhurbaşkanı Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’a,
"Ey iman edenler! Yapmayacağınız şeyleri neden söylüyorsunuz? Yapmayacağınız şeyleri söylemeniz, Allah katında…
— Mohammed AbuTaqiya (@MohammedATaqiya) August 19, 2025
Hamad cites a Qur’an verse that says “Why do you say what you do not do” and refers to Erdoğan’s past remarks describing the Turkish military as “the Prophet Muhammad’s army.” He asks what Ankara is waiting for while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expands the war and displacement plans, and he urges steps that would pressure Israel and stop expulsions.
The letter praises earlier Turkish initiatives and says Gazans consider Turkey a brotherly nation. It warns that a defeat for Gaza would reshape the region’s religious and political balance.
Ankara condemns Israel’s campaign, says it delivers aid and pushes diplomacy and has announced a trade embargo.
However, the Turkish government has faced protests and accusations for allegedly continuing trade with Israel while adopting harsh anti-Israeli rhetoric, with President Erdoğan repeatedly accusing Israel of “genocidal behavior” and comparing the actions of the administration of Prime Minister Netanyahu to those seen in Nazi Germany.
Despite the government’s anti-Israel rhetoric, pro-Palestinian activists in Turkey face close scrutiny, with many detained simply for staging protests against what they describe as the country’s continued trade with Israel.
At least 16 demonstrators were detained in İstanbul last month on accusations of insulting Erdoğan following a protest against the 17th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF 2025), which hosts defense contractors known to supply weapons and military technology to Israel.
Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 that resulted in the death of 1,206 people and the taking of some 250 hostages.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, the Israeli military has killed at least 62,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 157,000 since October 7, 2023.
A joint investigation by the +972 Magazine, Local Call and The Guardian reported that an internal Israeli army intelligence database listed 47,653 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) operatives. As of May the army believed about 8,900 had been killed, 7,330 confirmed and 1,570 probable. Lined up against the Gaza Health Ministry’s death toll of 53,000 at that time, the figures imply that at least 83 percent of those killed were civilians, or more than 86 percent if only confirmed militant deaths are counted.
The Israeli army confirmed the database exists but later said the reported figures are incorrect. Israeli officials have publicly cited higher militant tallies and claimed civilian to militant ratios of 1 to 1 or 2 to 1. The outlets report that earlier field estimates overstated militant deaths and that the intelligence database is the only tally the army treats as authoritative.
A report released by Amnesty International on December 5 concludes that Israel’s actions in Gaza qualify as genocide.
Kemal Adwan Hospital serves northern Gaza and has reported severe shortages since Israel’s military campaign began. The letter says people in Gaza face daily attacks and calls on Erdoğan to take steps that will “encircle, stop and hold to account” those responsible.