Members of AGD Istanbul Branch performed a funeral prayer in absentia for those who lost their lives in Israel’s air strikes on Gaza. After the funeral prayer at Fatih Mosque, after the night prayer, AGD Istanbul Branch President Mehmet Yaroğlu made a press statement. Yaroğlu said, “When we look at the last century we live in, we see that the original history of the Islamic world is also a history of resistance. When we look at the map, from east to west, from north to south, from Asia to America, from Europe to Africa, in each region. Muslims are fighting for existence. In this global war of existence, which is under military, political, intellectual, religious, social, cultural and moral occupation in many ways, the Islamic world still continues to resist with an Islamic desire for independence, even though it suffers great wounds. The burning processes, the people lost on the way, although it may be heavy, the struggle for independence continues with the same spirit of resistance from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean, from South Africa to East Turkestan, on all fronts with the same excitement as on the first day. Pointing out that the struggle for independence continues in Palestine, Yaroğlu said, “Just as the Holy Land of Palestine is at the center of history and geography, it is also the most important center of this global resistance. It is the first qibla of Islam, the second mosque built on earth and the blessed surrounding of Muslims. The Jerusalem front, which contains the harem, is a global struggle for honor only for the believers living on it, for the Muslims of the world. It is the cause of honorable resisters, fond of freedom, who fight and struggle not only for themselves, but also to protect the dignity, freedom, honor and dignity of Islam and Muslims, and who sacrifice their lives for this cause without hesitation when necessary. Despite their preference for Zionist Israel, the Palestinian people continue their honorable and dignified resistance. The cowardly and vile Zionist Israel has well understood in the ‘Sword of Jerusalem’ operation that took place in recent years that it will always have to lose in the face of the honorable stance of the Palestinian mujahideen. However, in spite of all this, Israel, which was indomitable, carried out an airstrike last night and martyred 13 of our Palestinian Muslim brothers. We have many injured. Among our martyrs are Jihat Gannam, Tarık Izzeddin and Halil Al Bahtini, one of the senior managers and commanders of the Islamic jihad movement, as well as women and children. We wish God’s mercy on our brothers who rose to the level of martyrdom in the treacherous attack. Here we openly announce and shout. We stand by the Islamic Jihad, Hamas and the entire resistance front with all our might in the face of these cruel massacres by terrorist Israel. We know that the whole struggle of the Palestinian resistance is to protect the honor and dignity of the Muslims. and we hereby declare that our prayers and assistance will always be on their side.” After the statement, prayers were said for those who died.
– Istanbul