UN relief chief thanks Turkish singer for supporting Gazans

WASHINGTON

UN relief chief Tom Fletcher thanked Turkish singer Haluk Levent on Monday for his support to people in the Gaza Strip.

"Thank you @haluklevent for using your voice and platform to support @ochaopt's humanitarian fund to support the people of Gaza," Fletcher said on X, referring to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Fletcher reposted a post of the famous Turkish rock singer, who said he will perform a concert in Istanbul on April 30 and donate all the proceeds to OCHA’s Humanitarian Fund for Gaza and the West Bank.

"As a singer, I believe it is my duty to help Palestinians in need. If we act together, we can achieve so much more. I encourage my fellow singers worldwide to join me in supporting those in need, particularly in Gaza," Levent said.

Levent founded the voluntary network AHBAP in 2017 to help those in need.

Israel has effectively turned Gaza into the world’s largest open-air prison, maintaining an 18-year blockade and forcing nearly 2 million of its 2.3 million residents into displacement amid dire shortages of food, water and medicine due to deliberate restrictions.

A ceasefire agreement has been in place in Gaza since Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed more than 48,200 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.