KAEU has not remained silent about the genocide taking place in Palestine and Gaza, and continues to express its peaceful protest on every platform. As part of these efforts, a press statement condemning the genocide carried out by Israel in Gaza was made on June 18, 2025, in front of the central dining hall, led by the Goodness Movement Student Community (İyilik Hareketi Topluluğu). The press event was attended by Rector of KAEU Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kasım Karahocagil, Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Musa Özata and Prof. Dr. Ali Güneş, Secretary General Dr. Hüseyin İlter, academic and administrative staff, representatives from civil society organizations, and a large number of students.
During the press statement, Nurullah Erbaşı, a member of the Goodness Movement Student Community, emphasized that they had gathered to stand for human dignity, conscience, and justice, and to be a voice for the oppressed people of Palestine and to once again cry out to the world about the pain they are enduring. Describing the struggle of the Palestinian people as a struggle for humanity, Erbaşı highlighted that bloodshed, tears, oppression, and genocide have persisted in the region ever since the arrival of Israel and the Zionists. He continued his remarks with the following words: “Since October 7, 2023, nearly 60,000 people have been martyred, 125,000 have been injured, and countless others remain missing under the rubble, including children and entire families. Around 1.9 million people from Gaza have been forcibly displaced. Civilian areas are being bombed, children are dying, mothers are dying — there is no safe place left. 164 healthcare facilities have been targeted, with 81 health centers and 38 hospitals rendered non-operational. The wounded are unable to access adequate medical care. Thirty healthcare workers and hundreds of journalists have been taken hostage. Fifty-five thousand pregnant women are facing delivery under extreme hardship. Over 1,000 patients with chronic kidney failure cannot receive dialysis; cancer patients are unable to get treatment. A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding at the border crossings — aid cannot reach those in need, thirst and hunger are at crisis levels, and there is no access to clean water. Israel disregards the rulings of international courts. The world fails to take concrete steps to end the atrocities. International bodies and organizations remain mere spectators to the genocide and oppression taking place. A genocide is happening before our eyes. Children are being killed, hospitals bombed, and civilians targeted. Gaza has been suffocating under a blockade for years; there is no food, no medicine, no electricity. But even worse than all of this is the silence. The world is silent, so-called defenders of human rights are silent, and so-called civilized countries are blind and deaf. As members of Kırşehir Ahi Evran University, we stand with the people of Palestine! Regardless of political views, sect, or ethnic background, the issue of Palestine is a matter of humanity and conscience.”
Following the press statement, Rector of KAEU Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kasım Karahocagil took the floor and stated that we must stand together against the genocide taking place in Gaza. He emphasized that the oppressors will inevitably be held accountable for the crimes against humanity they have committed. Rector Karahocagil thanked all participants for standing in solidarity with the people of Gaza through their honorable stance today, and concluded his speech by expressing his hope for an immediate end to the atrocities committed by the Israeli terrorist state.
