Turkish first lady appeals to Melania Trump amid Gaza famine fears

Turkey’s first lady, Emine Erdogan, has written to Melania Trump urging her to speak up for children in Gaza, warning that the enclave has turned into a “children’s cemetery” as famine and malnutrition deepen.

In the letter, released by the Turkish presidency on Saturday, Emine Erdogan praised Trump for her earlier advocacy on behalf of children affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but asked her to “extend the advocacy” to Palestinians facing suffering in Gaza.

“We must unite our voices and strength against this injustice,” she wrote, appealing for Trump to show the same sensitivity toward Gaza as she did for Ukrainian children. “The phrase ‘unknown baby’ written on the shrouds of thousands of Gazan children opens irreparable wounds in our consciences.”

Erdogan also encouraged Trump to use her influence directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to push for “an end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”

Her message comes at a time when a new report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has confirmed famine in and around Gaza City, warning that over 640,000 people will face “catastrophic conditions” between mid-August and September.

The report highlighted that one in three children in Gaza are acutely malnourished, and projected that up to June 2026, the lives of 132,000 children under five will remain at risk.

According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, 112 of the 273 people who have died from malnutrition so far are children.

Israel, however, denies famine exists in Gaza, accusing IPC experts of bias and relying on Hamas-linked data.

The IPC has firmly rejected these claims, standing by its methodology.

The Turkish first lady, who is usually more active in environmental causes than direct political affairs, has in the past written similar letters to spouses of global leaders.

In 2016, she raised concerns over the plight of Syrians caught in civil war, and in March she condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Her latest appeal comes as Israel prepares to intensify its military campaign to occupy Gaza City.

The war began after the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and left 251 taken hostage.

Since then, at least 62,122 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s health authorities, while most of the population has been displaced multiple times.

The UN estimates that more than 90% of homes have been damaged or destroyed, with health, water, and sanitation systems in collapse