Turkey’s First Lady, Emine Erdogan, has issued a heartfelt appeal to former U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, urging her to use her influence to advocate for children suffering amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
In a letter published by the Turkish presidency on Saturday, Erdoğan praised Mrs. Trump’s past efforts in drawing attention to the plight of children impacted by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She called on her to “extend the advocacy” to Palestinians, describing Gaza as a “children’s cemetery.”
“We must unite our voices and strength against this injustice,” Erdoğan wrote. “The phrase ‘unknown baby’ written on the shrouds of thousands of Gazan children opens irreparable wounds in our consciences.”
The appeal comes in the wake of a damning report by the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which confirmed famine conditions in and around Gaza City. The report estimates that over 640,000 people will face “catastrophic conditions” between mid-August and September, with children bearing the heaviest burden. According to the IPC, one in three children in Gaza are acutely malnourished, while 132,000 under-fives face life-threatening malnutrition up to mid-2026.
The Hamas-run health ministry reported that 112 of the 273 deaths from malnutrition have been children. Israel, however, denies there is famine, accusing the IPC of bias and relying on Hamas-supplied data allegations the IPC has firmly rejected.
Erdoğan’s letter also encouraged Melania Trump to appeal directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to help end the humanitarian crisis. The Turkish First Lady has occasionally stepped into global advocacy, previously writing to the spouses of world leaders on Syria in 2016 and again on Gaza in 2018.
Her intervention comes as Israel prepares a new military offensive aimed at Gaza City. The conflict, triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, has left more than 62,000 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The devastation has displaced nearly the entire population, destroyed vital infrastructure, and left healthcare and sanitation systems on the brink of collapse.
Erdoğan’s plea underscores mounting international concern over Gaza’s children, whose lives continue to hang in the balance as the war grinds on.
