Istanbul was paralyzed on the first day of the year! 500,000 protesters on the streets » The reaction of a famous former footballer

More than 500,000 people gathered on Istanbul's Galata Bridge for a massive march in support of Palestine, organized under the umbrella of the Humanity Alliance and the National Platform for Will.

The protest also had echoes in the world of football, where Mesut Ozil, a former German international with Turkish origins, showed his support for the protesters.

PHOTO. Hundreds of thousands of people attended a pro-Gaza rally in Istanbul

Despite freezing temperatures, demonstrators gathered on the first day of 2026 to march to the city's Galata Bridge in a rally under the slogan: “We will not remain silent, we will not forget Palestine,” according to france24.com.

Police sources and representatives of the state news agency ” Anatolian” stated that approximately 500,000 people joined the march.

More than 400 civil society organizations were present at the rally, one of whose organizers was Bilal Erdogan, the youngest son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“We pray that the year 2026 will bring good for our entire nation and for the oppressed Palestinians,” he said, according to the aforementioned source.

• Turkey has been one of the most vocal critics of the war in Gaza

• According to Gaza's Health Ministry, at least 414 people have been killed and more than 1,100 injured since the October 10 ceasefire agreement that ended Israel's two-year war

Mesut Ozil's reaction

The former international has publicly expressed support for Gaza in the context of the Israel-Palestine conflict. He posted several pictures from the rally, accompanied by a message expressing support for people affected by the armed conflict.

We are always with them!

We will not be afraid, we will not be silent, we will not forget Palestine!

– the message posted by Mesut Ozil

Mesut Ozil wears a shirt in support of the situation between Palestine and Israel / photo: Facebook: AiScore