In Istanbul, Bilal Erdogan is mobilizing the population

A gathering of several tens of thousands of people, including a son of the Turkish president, stretched across Istanbul on and around the Galata Bridge on Monday to denounce the "terrorism of the PKK and Israel" and show support for the Palestinians in Gaza.

The Turkish army lost 12 soldiers in two separate attacks attributed to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq at the end of December.

Furthermore, since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a traditional supporter of the Palestinian cause, has criticized Israel extensively, including comparing the Israeli Prime Minister to Hitler.

Bilal Erdogan, the second son of the Turkish president, took the stage to pay tribute to the "martyrs" of the army who fell in Iraq: "Our prayers are our best weapons to emerge from the darkness. Greetings to our holy martyrs who illuminate our path."

"I have been to the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza: the people there place their hopes in Turkey and Recep Tayyip Erdogan," he assured the crowd.