'Kuruluş: Osman' halts broadcast to observe mourning after Gaza hospital bombing

In a gesture of solidarity with Palestinians, Turkish historical drama Kuruluş: Osman postponed the release of its latest episode in response to the tragic Israeli attack on a hospital in Gaza, which claimed the lives of about 500 Palestinians.

The ATV original was scheduled to air episode 133 of Season 5 on October 18 but fans were surprised by the channel’s broadcast of episode 132 instead in observance with Turkish government’s decision to observe national mourning.

In their official Instagram post, the show’s production team stated, “Three days of national mourning will be declared in our country for Israel's attack on the hospital in Gaza, killing hundreds of our Palestinian brothers. For this reason, the new episode of our Kuruluş: Osman series will not be aired, but last week's episode will be rebroadcasted.”

“We once again strongly condemn the attacks in Gaza as a crime against children, women and civilians,” the showrunners explained.

Prior to this move, ATV dropped a thrilling teaser for the episode that left viewers eager about the future of Osman and Yakub’s deadly rivalry. Fans commended the production team’s heartfelt act of support in response to the post and expressed profound sorrow over the loss of innocent Palestinian lives, including women and children, and vehemently denounced the heinous acts witnessed in Gaza.

In a tragic turn of events on October 17, more than 500 Palestinian lives were lost in a devastating explosion at al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. Palestinian health authorities said that the explosion resulted from an Israeli airstrike, while the Israeli military attributes it to a "failed rocket launch by a Palestinian fighter group."

This incident is one of the most lethal attacks in Gaza since Israel launched an aggressive military operation to counter the deadly cross-border attack by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7.