Türkiye declares 3-day mourning over Gaza hospital strike

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced that Türkiye will observe three days of national mourning in solidarity with the Palestinian people after a deadly Israeli attack on a hospital in Gaza.

"As Türkiye, we feel in our hearts the great pain experienced by our Palestinian brothers. As a requirement of our respect for thousands of martyrs, most of whom are children and innocent civilians, a three-day national mourning has been declared in our country," Erdoğan said in a message shared on social media late on Oct. 18.

The president's announcement elaborated that the period of mourning aimed to "share the pain of the Palestinian people for those who lost their lives and were injured as a result of the attacks carried out by Israel against civilians, most recently on a hospital on Oct. 17."

During this period, Turkish flags will be lowered to half-staff across the country, as well as in all Turkish embassies and foreign missions abroad. This display of national mourning will continue until sunset on Oct. 21.