Turkish first lady appeals to Melania Trump over Gaza children
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# Turkish first lady appeals to Melania Trump over Gaza children
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Adam Durbin
BBC News
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Reuters
Melania Trump (left) and Ermine Erdogan (right) met in 2019, when their husbands held talks at the White House
Turkey's first lady has urged Melania Trump to speak out for children suffering in Israel's war in Gaza.
Emine Erdogan praised the US first lady's support for children affected by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, asking Trump to "extend the advocacy" to Palestinians.
In a letter published by the Turkish presidency on Saturday, Mrs Erdogan said Gaza had become a '"children's cemetery", telling Mrs Trump: "We must unite our voices and strength against this injustice."
It comes as UN- backed food security experts have assessed half a million people are suffering from famine in Gaza City \- and 132,000 children's lives are threatened by malnutrition.
"The phrase 'unknown baby' written on the shrouds of thousands of Gazan children opens irreparable wounds in our consciences," Mrs Erdogan wrote.
The letter calls on Mrs Trump to "show the same sensitivity to Gaza that you have shown to Ukrainian children who have lost their lives in the war".
Mrs Erdogan also encouraged Mrs Trump to appeal directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza".
Earlier this month, Mrs Trump sent Russian President Vladimir Putin a letter, raising awareness of about children affected by the war in Ukraine.
The Turkish first lady does not usually involve herself in politics, more often choosing to be active in environmental issues - which has earned her praise from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
But Mrs Erdogan has written letters to the partners of world leaders in the past, in 2016 on behalf of Syrians caught up in civil war and condemning Israel's actions in Gaza in March.
EPA/Shutterstock
Gazans are experiencing severe food shortages
The letter was published in the wake of a da