The rectors of 189 universities in Turkey announced their joint statement "Call for Justice and Human Rights" for Palestine to the world public opinion at a press conference held at OSTİM Technical University.

Chairman of the Interuniversity Board, Sakarya University Rector Prof. Dr. Fatih Savaşan, our Rector Prof. Dr. Musa Yıldız, Necmettin Erbakan University Rector Prof.Dr. Cem Zorlu, Hitit University Rector Prof. Dr. Ali Osman Öztürk, Rector of Çankırı Karatekin University Prof. Dr. Harun Çiftçi, Rector of Yozgat Bozok University Prof. Dr. Ahmet Karadağ, OSTİM Technical University Rector Prof. Dr. Murat Yülek, Rector of Maltepe University Prof. Dr. Şahin Karasa,  University of Turkish Aeronautical Association Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Erbay, Rector of Yüksek İhtisas University Prof. Dr. Mustafa Paç attended the meeting. Other rectors attended the press conference online.

The statement has the signatures of the rectors of 189 universities across Turkey  including,  Ankara University Rector Prof. Dr. Necdet Ünüvar, Istanbul University Rector Prof. Dr. Mahmut Ak,  Istanbul Technical University Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu, Middle East Technical University Rector Prof. Dr. Mustafa Verşan Kök, Boğaziçi University Rector Prof. Dr. Melih Bulu and Marmara University Rector Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar.

The statement which was read in Turkish by Istanbul Aydın University Rector Prof. Dr. Yadigar İzmirli, was read in Arabic by Our Rector Prof. Dr. Dr. Musa Yıldız and in English by Hitit University Rector Prof. Dr. Ali Osman Öztürk.

The statement expresses the concern that Israel has added to its practices against civilians and defenseless Palestinians residing in the Gaza Strip by increasing its violence, oppression and attacks that destroy the right to live, and that it has killed, injured and made  a large number of innocent civilians, including babies, children, women and the elderly homeless.

The statement also expressed the following; "These resolutions pave the way for Israel to be held accountable for the crimes it has committed in the Palestinian territories and to identify those responsible for the crimes in question. Accordingly, we invite international human rights judicial institutions to fulfill their duties and stop the attacks by taking a clear stance against Israel's legal and inhuman oppression and attacks. We, the signatories of this statement, declare that we respectfully support and will always stand by the Palestinians' struggle for the protection of their most natural human right, to live in dignity and to protect their property rights. In addition, we respectfully present to the knowledge of the international public that we are ready to undertake any humanitarian mission, including mediation, to stop the bloodshed and end the attacks on the Palestinians.”

The press conference ended with a moment of silence for all the martyrs.