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An exhibition featuring photographs from Anadolu Agency’s book "The Witness," which documents Israel’s crimes in Gaza, has opened in Istanbul, offering visitors a striking visual record of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in the enclave.
Hosted by the Umraniye Municipality, the exhibition opened on Tuesday at the Umraniye Culture and Art Center in Istanbul. It presents around 50 powerful photographs taken by Anadolu Agency journalists in Gaza, capturing the human suffering and destruction caused by Israel’s military operations since October 2023.
Umraniye Mayor Ismet Yildirim said the exhibition marks the second year of “the massacre Israel has been carrying out in Gaza since October 7, 2023.” He noted that “people with even a little compassion around the world stand with Gaza,” adding that Anadolu’s photographs “beautifully depict the atrocities in Gaza.”
Among the attendees was activist Said Ercan, a member of the Global Sumud Flotilla—a civilian initiative supporting Palestinian resistance and humanitarian solidarity. Ercan emphasized that "The Witness" and other books published by Anadolu are being used as evidence in international courts investigating possible war crimes.
He said he had personally witnessed the Israeli oppression in Gaza and sought to convey this reality to younger generations during the event, stressing that Türkiye “did not remain silent in the face of this oppression.”
Ercan also highlighted the significance of the Turkish Ministry of National Education’s new program aimed at raising awareness in schools about the situation in Gaza, launched in connection with the anniversary of the Oct. 7 conflict. The initiative, he said, reflects a growing commitment to humanitarian education and solidarity.
The exhibition at the Umraniye Culture and Art Center will remain open to visitors until Oct. 24.
According to local authorities and health organizations, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 67,100 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children, since October 2023. The bombardment has left much of Gaza in ruins, with widespread displacement, starvation, and outbreaks of disease, rendering the territory nearly uninhabitable.
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