Islamic civil society organizations in Diyarbakır came together on the third anniversary of the Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, staging a mass march in support of the Palestinian people and saluting the resistance that has continued in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.

Thousands of people gathered at the Dünya Kavşağı (World Intersection) in the central Kayapınar district before marching toward Roboski Park, where a press statement was delivered.

Carrying Palestinian flags and banners, participants chanted takbirs and slogans in support of Palestine and the resistance in Gaza.

The statement on behalf of Diyarbakır's Islamic civil society organizations was read by Muhammed Kayan, chairman of the Diyarbakır branch of the Anatolian Youth Association.

‘The Western-centered human rights fairy tale has been buried under Gaza's rubble’

Describing Oct. 7, 2023, as one of the greatest turning points in modern history, Kayan said the gathering was held to reaffirm solidarity with the Palestinian people's struggle for freedom and dignity and to condemn Israel's ongoing genocide and systematic violence against Palestinians.

“On the anniversary of the Al-Aqsa Flood, we are here to salute the honourable struggle of the Palestinian people and to curse the unprecedented genocide and terror policies of the occupying Zionist regime,” Kayan said.

He argued that Israel's war on Gaza had exposed the double standards of the Western-led international order.

“Today we have come to declare that the Western-centered ‘human rights’ fairy tale has been buried beneath the rubble of Gaza, that the global order is unraveling stitch by stitch, and that history has changed direction,” he said.

“Our purpose is not merely to commemorate a date. It is to record for history the epic resistance written in Gaza, expose the true face of Zionist brutality and remind the Muslim world of the grave responsibility resting on its shoulders.”

Kayan rejected descriptions of Oct. 7 as an isolated or spontaneous episode, saying it must instead be understood in the context of decades of occupation, dispossession, restrictions on Gaza and repeated violations against Al-Aqsa Mosque.

“The Al-Aqsa Flood was not a causeless explosion or a periodic border clash,” he said. “It was a legitimate cry for existence and freedom against systematic occupation, dispossession, the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the inhuman siege imposed on Gaza for decades.”

He said the operation had shattered what he described as the illusion of Israel's invincibility and returned the Palestinian cause to the center of global attention.

“The Palestinian cause, which they sought to bury and sacrifice through normalization agreements, has once again taken its rightful place at the center of global politics,” Kayan said.

‘Gaza has not knelt’

Kayan said the years since Oct. 7 had exposed what he described as the “true face” of the Israeli regime and praised the steadfastness of Palestinians in Gaza despite the scale of destruction.

“The world has once again witnessed the true face of the Israeli regime, which has acted no differently from a bloodthirsty terrorist organization,” he said.

He contrasted Israel's military campaign with what he called the dignity and steadfastness of Gaza's population.

“Despite being pushed into complete isolation, Gaza has not knelt. It has remained a fortress of humanity's honour,” Kayan said.

“This steadfastness rising from among the ruins has stripped away, in a single stroke, the legitimacy of giant military budgets, polished diplomatic narratives and false claims of global power.”

Kayan accused Israel and its allies of undermining international law while civilians in Gaza continued to endure death, destruction, displacement and deprivation.

“While the Zionist regime and its patrons were raining bombs on Gaza, they were also destroying the idea of justice and the last remnants of international law,” he said.

“Gaza is no longer merely a geographical place. It has become the address of the global conscience.”

He pointed to demonstrations and solidarity campaigns around the world, including among university students and civil society groups, as evidence that growing numbers of people had rejected Israel's narrative.

“The peoples of the world have stripped Zionism of its mask,” Kayan said, arguing that a state that loses its legitimacy in the conscience of humanity cannot remain immune from political and diplomatic isolation.

‘The Zionist regime is being condemned to political isolation’

Kayan also pointed to Israel's growing diplomatic isolation, saying that opposition to its policies was increasingly visible both in public opinion and international institutions.

“The occupation regime, rejected in the streets and in the consciences of peoples, is also being condemned to isolation in international politics,” he said.

“The Zionist regime, whose diplomatic armour has been shattered, is being condemned to be buried in the darkness of political isolation.”

He cited the reaction to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address at the UN in New York as evidence of what he described as Israel's growing isolation.

Kayan also stressed that the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza had not ended despite declarations of ceasefires and peace.

“Gaza is still experiencing one of the gravest humanitarian crises in modern history, with hunger and destruction reaching inhuman dimensions,” he said.

He called for the unrestricted delivery of humanitarian assistance, including food, clean water and medical supplies, stressing that the aid reaching Gaza remained far below the level required to meet the needs of its population.

‘Gaza needs action, not new condemnations’

Kayan directed a particularly strong message to the leaders of Muslim-majority countries, urging them to move beyond statements of condemnation and take concrete action against Israel.

“Gaza no longer needs new sentences of condemnation. It needs decisions that produce results,” he said.

“For years, declarations have been issued, summits have been held and condemnations have been expressed. And what has been the result? Gaza is still under the rubble.”

He called on Islamic countries to employ their political, diplomatic, economic and other means to pressure Israel.

“Do not merely condemn — impose sanctions. Do not merely watch — use your diplomatic power. Do not disperse — act together,” Kayan said.

“What Gaza needs is not another declaration, but a deterrent common will.”

‘We will not get used to oppression’

Kayan stressed that responsibility for Palestine does not rest solely with governments, saying ordinary Muslims must also maintain solidarity with Gaza.

“We must ask ourselves: Where are we in this struggle? Will we simply watch Gaza from our screens? Will we become angry for a few days and then forget?” he said.

“No. Palestine is not a temporary agenda, a social media post or a one-week event for us.”

He pledged continued public mobilization, humanitarian assistance, advocacy and efforts to hold those responsible for violations accountable.

“We will be in the squares. We will speak. We will explain. We will expand humanitarian aid and demand that the law be enforced,” Kayan said.

“We will not get used to it. We will not forget. We will not allow it to be forgotten.”

Prayer for Gaza and Al-Aqsa

Kayan concluded his address with a prayer for the people of Gaza, the Palestinian resistance and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

“Our supplication to our Lord is that, for the sake of His name Ar-Razzaq, He grant our brothers the most beautiful provision from His presence; and for the sake of His name Al-Fattah, that He open every door for Gaza,” he said.

He prayed for steadfastness and victory for the people of Gaza, mercy for those killed and strength for their families.

He also prayed that Muslims would maintain a spirit of resistance against Zionism, sustain the boycott and unite around the consciousness of the ummah.

“May Allah grant us the days when Al-Aqsa Mosque is freely opened for worship,” he said.

Kayan ended by reaffirming the commitment of the people of Diyarbakır to Palestine.

“No matter how much the Zionist regime burns and destroys, it will never be able to subjugate a people who resist for their land, their honour and Al-Aqsa Mosque,” he said.

“Until the last child in Gaza can freely look up at the sky, until the shadow of occupation over Al-Aqsa Mosque is lifted, and until a just world founded on human dignity replaces the West's double-standard order, we are here, we are standing, and we stand with the Palestinian people.” (ILKHA)