Türkü Avci, a political science student from Turkey, came to Israel seeking the unvarnished truth about the Middle East. After the October 7 attacks, her decision to share “what’s actually going on” cost her everything: her scholarship, her home, and her ability to return to her homeland. She is now stranded in Israel, branded a “Mossad agent” by Turkish media, and relying on the kindness of strangers to survive.
Türkü arrived in Israel in 2021, motivated by a need to understand the region from a perspective she felt was missing in her own country. She grew up in a secular family in the Turkish coastal city of Marmaris.
View of the fishing boats in the harbor in Marmaris, Turkey (Getty Images/YONCA60)
“I am from Turkey and Turkish; I was born and raised there. My parents are secular, but we come from Muslim roots. I came to Israel in 2021 to study political science. I really love it here. After October 7, I started creating my page and sharing what I saw and what was actually going on here.”
Q: Why did you choose Israel specifically for your studies?
“I wanted to study political science, and I chose Israel because I wanted to learn about the Middle East. I come from a secular family. I saw how Turkey was declining and becoming more and more a Middle Eastern country. We had Israeli tourists in my hometown, and after I spoke to them, I decided to come to Israel because I wanted to see the story from the Israeli perspective. I really believe that I can be the journalist I want to be if I study in Israel… I always knew about Israel, but I actually started searching about it intensely around 2020 when the conflict happened in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem. It was all over the news. At that time, I started searching for the Israeli side of the story. In Turkey, the news was just like, ‘Jews are torturing the Muslims,’ and this became a government propaganda narrative. I thought, ‘If there is [President Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan propaganda here, it cannot be really true.’ That’s how it started. Through my research, I found a professor from Hebrew University, and I decided, ‘This is where I want to study.'”
People hold Turkish and Palestinian flags during a Pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul, Turkey, 15 June 2025 (EPA/ERDEM SAHIN)
Türkü arrived without prior knowledge of Judaism, admitting that when she first saw Haredi people at the airport, she was “shocked” and thought, “Oh my god, they really exist.” Her motivation was clear: she believed that studying in Israel was the only way she could become “the journalist I wanted to be.”
After October 7, Türkü began actively sharing her perspective. The reaction in Turkey was swift and devastating. She became the target of “really pro-Erdoğan and Islamist newspapers.”
Q: What was the reaction in Turkey to your content supporting Israel?
“It was not welcomed in Turkey. I was targeted by some really pro-Erdoğan and Islamist newspapers. It became really stressful afterwards. I lost my scholarship, and I received so many threats, and my parents also received threats.”
Q: How did you finance your studies initially?
“My family is middle class and couldn’t really afford for me to study in Israel. I spoke with the Israelis we met in Marmaris, but ultimately, there was a British family in Turkey – they were like my godmother and godfather – who we grew up with. I literally begged them, saying that I could pay them back after my graduation. They were paying my tuition.”
Q: What happened to that financial support after you started publishing content following October 7?
“After October 7 and after I started creating my page, they first said they didn’t want to send money to Israel anymore. Then, after I was featured in the news, they completely cut the support. They are in Turkey, and they were afraid for themselves. After losing this support, I started getting a small amount of support from some Israeli families [in Turkey], but that was also cut off completely after I was in the news, which happened around March 25, before Passover.”
Q: What were the accusations leveled against you in the Turkish media?
“They made news about me like ‘Turkish girl sold herself to Israelis.’ And then they claim that ‘I’m a Mossad agent and everything.’ Now, I am afraid that if I go back, I will get arrested or detained. Our lawyers in Turkey advised me that I should wait a bit longer.”
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan salutes his supporters during a rally at Istanbul’s Yenikapi fairground to show solidarity with Palestinians on May 18, 2018 (Getty Images)
This public slander has placed her in immediate danger should she attempt to go home.
Q: What is the risk if you return to Turkey now?
“Now I’m afraid if I go back I will get arrested or will get under detain. Our lawyers in Turkey they said like she should “wait a bit more.”
The financial consequences followed immediately. A British family from her Turkish hometown of Marmaris, whom she considered her godparents and who had been paying her tuition after she “literally begged them”, cut off their support entirely. Stripped of financial support, Türkü is now trapped in Israel. She cannot legally work due to her student visa status.
Protestors hold red smoke flares during a rally in support of Istanbul’s arrested mayor at Istanbul’s city hall, on March 24, 2025 (OZAN KOSE / AFP)
Q: How have your parents reacted to your situation, knowing you can’t return?
“My mother got really worried, and I haven’t seen them for two years. However, my father said that if I were in Turkey, I wouldn’t be safer – I would still be protesting against the government, and I might already be in jail by now. He told me that I am much safer where I am. They live in a very secular place. I even spoke to them recently and asked if they wanted me to stop because of the concerns about their safety, and they told me, ‘No, we are safe here. You’re going to be fine, and we just want you to do what you want to do.’ They are really supportive.”
Q: What is your financial and housing situation?
“It became really hard to live here… I couldn’t pay my rent. I had to leave the dorms during the Iranian war. Israeli families are hosting me now. Also, I cannot continue my life here because I don’t have like constant income. I came to a point that I cannot afford my school or anything.”
Though her parents send what they can, the hyper-inflation in Turkey means even large sums of money for them translate to “just like 200 shekels or something” in Israel. She also noted that she still maintains contact with friends who offer moral support: “There are still Israeli families that I met in Marmaris. They’re trying to be helpful.” She clarified that these were Israeli tourists who had visited her hometown and with whom she remains friends
Q: What kind of assistance are you seeking now, since you are currently stuck in Israel without income or the ability to work?
“I came to a point that I cannot afford my school or anything, and I cannot live here anymore. I really want a job. I want to be a journalist, and I really want to raise and use my voice. Finding a job would be the best help for me. I have reached out to influencers, and two American women started a donation campaign for me.”
Turkish cruise ship Mavi Marmara, carrying pro-Palestinian activists, leaves from Sarayburnu port in Istanbul May 22, 2010 (Reuters / Emrah Dalkaya)
Türkü emphasizes that the best help she can receive is the opportunity to work and continue her career. She is set to finish her degree in July 2026.
