President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the 80th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.
Erdoğan thanked all countries that have recognized Palestine, calling on those states that have not yet taken this decision 'to act without delay'.
Erdogan said for 23 months, Israel has killed one child every hour in Gaza, stressing 'they are not numbers, but innocent lives'.
In his speech, Erdoğan touched on the following topics:
I want to begin my speech by expressing my sadness that President Mahmoud Abbas is not personally with us today, at a time when Palestine is being recognized by an increasing number of countries. We are here at this podium today to be the voice for the Palestinian people, whose voices are being silenced, along with our own citizens. I thank all the countries that have announced they will recognize the State of Palestine, and I call on the states that have not yet made this decision to act as soon as possible.
The UN Charter was signed 80 years ago in San Francisco and entered into force on October 24, 1945. I would like to recall the very first words of the first article of the UN's founding charter: "The purpose of the United Nations is to maintain international peace and security." Yes, as we celebrate the UN's 80th anniversary in this hall, grave events are occurring in many parts of the world that cast a shadow on the very first words of the founding charter's first article.
As we celebrate the UN's 80th anniversary in this hall, grave events are occurring in many parts of the world that cast a shadow on the very first words of the founding charter's first article. Specifically in Gaza, a genocide has been ongoing for over 700 days right before our eyes. Even as we hold this meeting, civilians are being massacred in Gaza.
The number of civilians who have died in Gaza has exceeded 65,000. It is still unknown how many bodies are under the rubble. More than 20,000 of the dead are children. For the last 23 months, every hour, yes, every hour, a child has been brutally torn from life in Gaza by Israel. These are not just numbers, friends; they are all lives, innocent people. Right now, people are being killed not just with weapons, but also with the weapon of starvation. In the 21st century, under the gaze of the civilized world, 428 people, including 146 children, have died from starvation, and the number is increasing every day.
Now I will show you a photo that depicts daily life in Gaza. The first photo shows women with basins in their hands, as you can see. Please, let's all put our hands on our hearts and answer: In 2025, can there be a reasonable reason for such cruelty? But for the sake of humanity, this shameful scene is repeated every day in Gaza for the past 23 months.
The 2.5 million Gazans living within 365 square kilometers are being displaced every day, forced to migrate to another region every day. Gaza's health infrastructure has completely collapsed. Doctors have been killed or detained. Ambulances have been hit, and hospitals have been bombed and destroyed. Treatment is not possible, surgery is not possible, and finding medicine is not possible. Friends, I say this with a burning heart, with a bleeding heart, as Tayyip Erdoğan: innocent little children, just 2 or 3 years old, without hands, arms, or legs, have unfortunately become a common sight in Gaza today.
What conscience can bear this? What conscience can remain silent about this? Can there be peace in a world where children are dying from starvation and lack of medicine? We are all parents. We have our beloved children and grandchildren. Here, in America, in Europe, everywhere in the world, if a child gets a small thorn stuck in their hand, parents' hearts ache, but in Gaza, children's hands, arms, and legs are being amputated without anesthesia. With all due respect, this is the lowest point for humanity.
