Türkiye’s First Lady Emine Erdogan has drawn international attention with a heartfelt letter to Melania Trump, urging the US First Lady to advocate for Gaza’s children as she did for those affected by the Ukraine conflict.
The letter, which calls for action to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, has been widely covered by global media, highlighting its emotional appeal and call for justice.
The letter was inspired by Melania Trump’s earlier correspondence with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where she expressed concern for children affected by the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Emine Erdogan emphasised the dire situation in Gaza, referencing reports of 18,000 children and 62,000 civilians killed in less than two years, urging Melania to extend her compassion to Palestinian children and engage with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the crisis.
The letter’s poignant message, rooted in shared humanity and maternal empathy, resonated widely, with media outlets quoting Emine Erdogan’s call for a unified stand against injustice and her hope that Melania’s voice could fulfil a “historical responsibility” for Gaza.
Here's a look at how media across the world have covered Erdogan's letter:
United Kingdom
BBC shared Emine Erdogan's letter on its X account, which has approximately 50 million followers, and on its Instagram account that has 29.4 million followers.
Under the headline, "Turkish First Lady calls on Melania Trump for children in Gaza", BBC also ran a report based on the letter on its website.
The Telegraph newspaper reported that Erdogan called for the rescue of children in Gaza, pointing out that the letter aimed to draw Trump into peace efforts in Gaza.
Reuters used the headline "Turkish first lady urges Melania Trump to speak out on Gaza" in its report.
Emine Erdogan wrote that she had been inspired by the letter Melania Trump sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month about children in Ukraine and Russia.
According to the British Sky News channel, Erdogan wrote a letter to Melania asking her to show the same concern for the children in Gaza as she does for the Ukrainian children affected by the war.
The letter recalled Melania’s compassion for the 648 Ukrainian children who lost their lives in the conflict and called on her to make the same effort for Palestinian children.
France
French magazine Le Point, in its report titled "We must unite our voices: Emine Erdogan called on Melania Trump to support the children of Gaza," stated that Erdogan asked Melania to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the situation of children in Gaza.
The French newspaper Le Figaro, in its news report titled "As a mother, a woman and a human being: Emine Erdogan called on Melania Trump to defend the rights of children in Gaza," included the following part from the letter: "As a mother, a woman and a human being, I deeply share the feelings in your letter and wish you to cultivate the same hope for the children of Gaza who are thirsting for peace and tranquility."
Germany
The German NTV online news portal reported with the headline "Erdogan's wife writes an emotional letter to Trump”. The report stated that Erdogan called on the American First Lady to show sensitivity for the children of Gaza.
The German magazine Der Spiegel said Emine Erdogan wrote about how the tag of "unknown baby" given to children in Gaza has "opened irreparable wounds in our conscience”.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria’s largest private television channel, bTV, ran an article that said "Türkiye's First Lady asks Melania Trump to appeal to the Israeli Prime Minister to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza."
Greece
Emine Erdogan's letter also received widespread coverage in the Greek press.
EFSYN newspaper reported, "While genocide and deadly attacks are taking place in Gaza, Erdogan sent a letter to Melania Trump regarding the children in Gaza."
Switzerland
Newspaper 20 Minuten chose the headline “Mrs. Erdogan Addresses Mrs. Trump on Behalf of Gaza’s Children.”
The article said, "Türkiye's First Lady called on her American counterpart to deliver a 'peace' letter to Benjamin Netanyahu, as she did to Vladimir Putin."
Belgium
Belgium’s Flemish-language public channel VRT also published the news with a headline: “Emine Erdogan wrote a letter to Melania Trump about Gaza: ‘It has turned into a children’s cemetery’.”
"After speaking about children in Ukraine, Türkiye's 'First Lady' Emine Erdogan asks her American counterpart, Melania Trump, to also speak about the suffering of children in the Gaza Strip. She expresses this in a letter. Is it striking? Emine Erdogan frequently raises her voice (on the Gaza issue),” the article said.
Czech Republic
The Czech newspaper Blesk also covered the story with the headline "Erdogan's wife wrote a letter to Melania Trump about children in Gaza."
It was reported that Erdogan called on Melania to show the same sensitivity for the children in Gaza as she did for the children in Ukraine.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro
Klix, one of the most read news portals in Bosnia and Herzegovina, used the headline "Communication between First Ladies".
The news site of the country's most widely read newspaper, Dnevni Avaz, reported that Erdogan sent a letter to Melania explaining the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Serbia's news agency Tanjug gave detailed coverage to Erdogan's Gaza letter.
Blic, one of the most read news portals in Serbia, included the details of the letter in its news report with the headline "Emine Erdogan asked Melania Trump to think about the children in Gaza."
CDM, one of Montenegro's most read news portals, also emphasised that Erdogan asked Trump to think about the children in Gaza.
Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and Bangladesh
The Australian-based 9News reported on the letter with the headline, "Emine Erdogan called on Melania Trump to speak about the children of Gaza." The article covered the letter's contents extensively.
Malaysia-based Free Malaysia Today reported the contents of the letter.
Singapore-based The Straits Times wrote: “Emine Erdogan gave the message that Melania Trump’s call would be a historic mission by emphasizing the global recognition of Palestine.”
Bangladesh's official news agency, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), also used the details of the letter in its news report titled "Erdogan's wife urged Melania Trump to speak for the children of Gaza."
Pakistan, India and Japan
Pakistan's most read English daily, Dawn, featured Erdogan's call for Trump to speak about Gaza as its headline.
The article quoted Erdogan as saying, "In these days when the world is experiencing a common awakening and the recognition of Palestine has become a global will, I believe that a call from you on behalf of Gaza will also be the fulfilment of a historic responsibility to the Palestinian people."
The Times of India used the headline "Speak for Gaza children too: Turkish First Lady writes letter to Melania Trump, who sent letter to Putin."
Japan Today also reported on Erdogan's call to Melania.
Middle East
Emine Erdogan's letter also received widespread coverage in media outlets in Middle Eastern countries.
Qatar-based Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera Mubasher, and Al Jazeera Arabic channels gave wide coverage to the letter.
Qatar's leading newspaper, Al-Arabi Al-Jadid, published the news with the headline "Emine Erdogan's call to Melania Trump on Gaza." The report stated that Erdogan had drawn attention to children struggling to survive under Israeli attacks and blockades.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
Sharq Al-Awsat, a newspaper in Saudi Arabia, published the news with the headline, "Turkish President's wife appealed to Trump's wife about children in Gaza." The article emphasised Erdogan's raising of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The UAE-based Sky News Arabia broadcast the letter under the headline "Emine Erdogan's call to draw attention to children in Gaza."
The channel highlighted Melania’s statements in the letter, which suggested that the same sensitivity she showed regarding Ukraine should also be applied to children in Gaza.
Israel
Israeli newspaper Maariv brought Erdogan's letter to Melania to the attention of its readers with the article titled "From Erdogan's wife to the President's wife in the White House: Put pressure on Netanyahu."
The report stated that Erdogan asked Trump to also support the children in Gaza.
Yedioth Ahronot newspaper carried an article with the headline “Erdogan's wife to Melania: Send a letter to Netanyahu too".
Palestine
Palestinian newspapers Alkuds Alarabi, Quds al-Ihbariyya, Shehab Agency and Alhadath covered Erdogan's letter extensively.
In the news, Erdogan was quoted as emphasising that "children in Gaza are deprived of even their most basic rights."
Egypt
Egypt-based AlGhad television reported on the letter under the headline "From the wife of the Turkish President to Melania Trump: Take action for the children in Gaza too."
Egypt's Ahbar al-Yevm newspaper also gave wide coverage to the letter.
Lebanon
Lebanon's official news agency, NNA, published a report under the headline, "Emine Erdogan urged Melania Trump to deliver a message about children in Gaza." The report included detailed coverage of the letter.
MTV, a Lebanese media outlet, carried the letter on its page with the headline "From Erdogan's wife to Trump's wife: I hope you give the same hope to the children in Gaza."
Lebanon Debate, one of Lebanon's leading news sites, also published an article about the letter with the headline "Show the same sensitivity to the children in Gaza."
Morocco
Morocco's Istiklal newspaper reported the letter with the headline, "Turkish President's wife sends Gaza message to Trump's wife." The report stated that Erdogan underscored the difficulties faced by children in Gaza.
Iranian
Iranian media reports on the issue generally portrayed Erdogan as reminding Trump to be sensitive to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as in Ukraine.
Iran's official news agency, IRNA, presented the letter to its subscribers with the title "Erdogan's wife, Melania Trump: 'Gaza children deserve happiness like Ukrainian children'".
One of the country's well-established newspapers, Ittilaat, reported the letter in detail under the headline, "Erdogan's wife, Melania Trump: 'Gaza children are like Ukrainian children.'"
Russia
The Russian TASS news agency gave extensive coverage to the letter in its report titled “Emine Erdogan urged Melania Trump to speak out about the situation of children in Gaza.”
In an article under the headline "Erdogan's wife asks Melania to write a letter to Netanyahu”, the RIA news agency said Emine asked the US First Lady to call on Netanyahu to stop the attacks in Gaza, where more than 18,000 children lost their lives.
The Kommersant newspaper gave extensive coverage to the letter with the headline, “Erdogan’s wife asked Melania Trump to support the children of Gaza, as she does the children of Ukraine.”
The Izvestiya newspaper published a report under the headline: "Emine Erdogan called on Melania Trump to intervene in the fate of children in Gaza”. It quoted Erdogan as saying, "We still have a chance for the over 1 million Gazan children who have survived. Its time has long come."
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan's Qafqazinfo reported that Emine Erdogan called on Melania Trump to reflect the same sensitivity she showed towards the war in Ukraine towards the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The Yeni Musavat newspaper highlighted the following statement from the letter: "I believe that the compassion you showed to 648 Ukrainian children will also be shown to the children of Gaza. Because in the last two years, 62,000 innocent civilians, including 18,000 children, have been brutally murdered."
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan's state news agency Kazinform published a news report with the headline “Emine Erdogan sent a letter to Melania Trump.”
