Turkey’s First Lady Emine Erdoğan has written an open letter to former U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, urging her to show the same compassion for children in Gaza as she previously expressed for children in Ukraine. The appeal was reported by G.Business., citing the Turkish news agency Anadolu.

Erdoğan recalled Melania Trump’s earlier letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which she called for an end to the war in Ukraine for the sake of future generations. She urged Trump to send a similar message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, highlighting the suffering of Palestinian children.

“I believe you showed this important sensitivity toward the 648 Ukrainian children who were killed in the war – and even more strongly toward Gaza, where in two years 62,000 civilians have been brutally killed, including 18,000 children,” Emine Erdoğan wrote.

According to her, one child dies in Gaza every 45 minutes. UNICEF has already described the Palestinian enclave as a “children’s cemetery.” Erdoğan used stark imagery: “Have you ever thought that the term ‘unknown soldier,’ used in wars for unidentified fighters, might one day be applied to children? Today the phrase ‘unknown infant’ is written on the shrouds of thousands of Gaza’s children, whose families are gone and whose names cannot even be identified.”

The Turkish First Lady condemned what she called an “arbitrarily imposed international system, in which everything and everyone can be devalued for the sake of the comfort of the privileged.” She called for uniting voices and efforts against an order that treats the lives of children in some parts of the world as less valuable than in others.

Background: Melania Trump’s earlier letter

  • When and what it was about: Earlier this year, Melania Trump published an open letter addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In it, she appealed to him to end the war in Ukraine, citing the suffering of civilians and the impact on future generations. The letter was widely covered in both U.S. and European media, as it was unusual for a First Lady — even a former one — to make such a direct statement on international conflict.
  • Tone and content: The message focused on the humanitarian consequences of war, especially for children. Melania Trump emphasized that peace was a responsibility not only of governments but also of leaders to protect future generations. Her appeal was framed as a call for compassion, not as a political negotiation.
  • Reactions at the time: The letter was received with mixed reactions. Supporters praised the humanitarian message, while critics saw it as symbolic rather than impactful, since Melania Trump holds no official role in U.S. diplomacy. Still, it was seen as an attempt to use her public image to highlight the suffering of children in Ukraine.
  • Why Emine Erdoğan refers to it now: Emine Erdoğan directly referenced this letter in her own appeal. She argued that if Melania Trump could urge Putin to act for the sake of Ukrainian children, she should also urge Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to act for the sake of children in Gaza. By invoking Melania’s past initiative, Erdoğan sought to highlight a perceived double standard: compassion shown to Ukrainian victims, but not equally to Palestinian children.
  • Political significance: By framing her appeal this way, Erdoğan tied the humanitarian crisis in Gaza to a broader debate about the consistency of Western empathy and values. Her message suggests that children’s lives should be valued equally, regardless of geography or politics.

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