ISTANBUL 

The head of Türkiye’s Council of Higher Education on Friday called on international academics and university students to support the besieged Palestinian people, even if they feel pressure not to. 

“The doors of Turkish institutions of higher education are open to academics and university students who face pressure in the West due to their support for the just struggle of the Palestinian people,” said Erol Ozvar.

“We would be more than pleased to welcome the victims and oppressed members of the international academic community, who in our long history we have always accepted with open arms, to our country today,” he added.

Ozvar’s remarks followed reports that several academics worldwide have lost their positions for openly supporting Palestine.

During the tumultuous years of the 1930s and ‘40s, Turkish universities offered refuge to a host of German academics escaping the Nazi dictatorship.

The conflict in Gaza began on Oct. 7 when the Palestinian group Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood – a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air

Hamas said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians

The Israeli military then launched a relentless bombardment of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, with a ground operation widely expected, despite warnings of its possible dire impact.

Nearly 8,800 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 7,326 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis. Some 70% of the deaths in Gaza are women and children, according to official figures.