Gaza Herald – Pro-Palestine protesters are preparing to take part in coordinated demonstrations on Wednesday in 19 cities around the world, including Istanbul, coinciding with World Humanitarian Day, to demand an end to the siege on Gaza and the unrestricted delivery of food, medicine, shelter and medical care to Palestinians across the Strip.
The demonstrations are being organized at the same time in 19 cities as part of a growing international campaign calling for humanitarian access to Gaza, where Palestinians continue to face severe shortages amid Israel’s restrictions on the movement of aid and essential supplies.
In Istanbul, the demonstration will take place at Üsküdar Square on the city’s Asian side at 6:30pm local time. Organizers are urging residents, civil society groups and humanitarian organizations to join the mobilization.
Osman Nuri Kabaktepe, head of the Palestine Support Platform, said the campaign seeks to amplify demands for Palestinians to receive basic necessities, emphasizing that food, medicine, shelter and healthcare are fundamental human rights rather than acts of charity.
He said civilians in Gaza are being denied access to essential needs, with children, women, patients and other vulnerable Palestinians facing increasingly desperate conditions.
Organizers also accused Israel of continuing to violate the October 10, 2025 ceasefire agreement, which calls for 600 aid trucks to enter Gaza each day. They said international reports indicate that only around 100 to 200 trucks have been entering daily, far below the agreed level.
The shortfall has deepened shortages of food, drinking water, medicine and shelter supplies across Gaza, where millions of Palestinians remain displaced and dependent on humanitarian assistance.
The campaign will extend beyond the street demonstrations, with organizers planning a coordinated social media campaign and further actions in the coming weeks to increase public pressure for the opening of humanitarian routes into Gaza.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor has also warned of the collapse of Gaza’s transportation and supply system, citing the destruction of trucks and warehouses, attacks on drivers and restrictions on bringing replacement vehicles and spare parts into the Strip.
According to figures cited by the organization, only around 25% of Gaza’s prewar fleet of approximately 1,200 trucks survived Israel’s attacks. More than 20 truck drivers were killed, while 15 others were detained.
The international mobilization comes as Gaza faces an unprecedented humanitarian and reconstruction crisis following years of Israeli bombardment and destruction. Palestinian authorities estimate that around 90% of the Strip’s civilian infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, while the United Nations has estimated reconstruction needs at roughly $70 billion.
More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 174,000 injured since the beginning of Israel’s genocide on Gaza, according to Palestinian figures, with children and women making up a large proportion of the casualties.
For Palestinians in Gaza, the demonstrations represent a growing demand from people around the world to break the siege, restore humanitarian access and ensure that essential supplies can reach a population enduring mass displacement, destruction and a deepening humanitarian catastrophe.
