As a result of Israel’s attacks on Gaza, 23 thousand people, mostly women and children, lost their lives and 59 thousand people were injured in the last three months. More than a hundred members of the press who tried to show the Israeli massacre to the world were killed. Israel, which ignores international law and humanitarian values, continues to rain bombs on civilians, bombing mosques, churches, hospitals and refugee camps.

As KADEM, we have raised our voice on every platform and expressed our reaction in the strongest way against Israel, which has committed crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza since October 7.

The Solidarity Initiative for Solidarity with Palestinian Women organized a three-day sit-in in Eminönü Square to protest Israel’s attacks on Palestine. We took part in the protest organized by women from 39 non-governmental organizations.

KADEM Chairman of the Board of Trustees Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar, KADEM Chairman of the Board Assoc. Dr. As Saliha Okur Gümrükçüoğlu, KADEM manager and employees, we supported the sit-in organized for Palestine.

As KADEM Management, employees and volunteers, we attended the Great Istanbul Rally held at Atatürk Airport on October 28.

We were in the Sultanahmet Action under the leadership of the Solidarity Initiative with Palestinian Women

We were one of the civil society organizations participating in the 15-day sit-in protest organized by the Solidarity Initiative with Palestinian Women in Sultanahmet Square to protest Israel’s attacks on Palestine. On the 8th day of the protest, KADEM took over the watch. Supported by nearly a hundred NGOs, the sit-in protest was attended by Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar, the President of KADEM Board of Trustees, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Saliha Okur Gümrükçüoğlu, the President of KADEM, KADEM Board Members, employees, and volunteers, as well as Young KADEM volunteers.

On December 11th, we filed a criminal complaint at Çağlayan Courthouse in Istanbul against the Israeli government and military authorities regarding the crimes committed by Israel in Gaza, at the International Criminal Court.

We announced the criminal complaint through a press release, and submitted our petition to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to be forwarded to the International Criminal Court through the Ministry of Justice. We have also initiated efforts for the trial of the State of Israel in front of the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

In our criminal complaint petition, we requested the prosecution of relevant Israeli authorities on the grounds that all actions of Israel constitute War Crimes within the scope of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity.

Simultaneously, through letters sent to various institutions, we invited all individuals, organizations, and platforms sensitive to human rights to file criminal complaints against Israel at the International Criminal Court. In this regard, our 55 representations took action in their respective regions. The representations in Çorum, Tokat, and Çanakkale organized protests, Kırşehir KADEM conducted a discussion titled ‘Kudüs Anadır’ (Jerusalem is Mother), and KADEM Samsun Representation supported the boycott against products supporting Israel. The Sakarya Representation organized a charity bazaar for the benefit of Palestine. The Çanakkale Representation of KADEM organized training sessions on the topics ‘Our Position Against Oppression’ and ‘Sacred Heritage: Al-Aqsa Mosque.’ KADEM Konya Representation, on November 12th, delivered a solidarity message to the people of Palestine at Konya Mevlana Square against the oppression applied by Israel to Gaza.

Young KADEM actively participated in campaigns boycotting products that support Israel by creating content and supporting existing campaigns. Using stickers with slogans like ‘You won’t die if you don’t buy, they die if you buy’ and ‘You won’t die if you don’t drink, they die if you drink,’ the youth played an active role in the field. Young KADEM volunteers who supported the demonstration in front of the Israeli Consulate on October 17th also supported sit-in protests in Eminönü and Sultanahmet, as well as the large rally held at Atatürk Airport.

Most recently, Young KADEM, in an art-themed action with the slogan ‘Hanzala will turn his face, oppression will end in Palestine,’ shouted to the world from Sultanahmet Square that we stand with the people of Gaza.

KADEM continues to make frequent Gaza-related posts on its social media accounts. It also continues to support joint hashtag campaigns and social media awareness campaigns organized by civil society organizations to keep the issue on the agenda.