Israel is committing "war crimes" in front of the whole world by targeting hospitals, schools, places of worship, mosques, churches, even ambulances carrying the sick and the dead, and refugee camps, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.
Erdogan answered journalists’ questions on his return flight from Saudi Arabia on Saturday, where he attended the 8th Extraordinary Islamic Summit and met his counterparts to discuss Israel's attacks on Gaza, ongoing efforts to deliver aid to civilians, and potential steps toward a solution.
"Palestine, which has been struggling to exist under occupation and oppression for decades, has been experiencing unspeakable cruelty for the past 36 days. Innocent civilians in Gaza are losing their lives under Israel's indiscriminate heavy bombardment and are forcibly displaced from their own lands," Erdogan said.
Asserting that the Western countries are only watching all these atrocities from the tribunes, Erdogan said that those with a conscience can't remain silent in the face of all this.
"Since October 7, we have made intensive efforts to establish a humanitarian ceasefire through diplomacy and dialogue".
Türkiye emphasises the importance of establishing a ceasefire, ending the clashes and ensuring the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, the Turkish president reiterated.
"So far, we have sent 10 planes full of approximately 230 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Egypt to be delivered to Gaza," he said.
"The international community needs to take action against the massacres. However, we see that the United Nations Security Council is once again dysfunctional," he added.
"Our region can only achieve lasting peace with the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and with geographical integrity".
Relentless attacks
Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on Gaza – including hospitals, residences, and houses of worship – since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7.
At least 11,100 Palestinians have been killed, including 4,506 children and 3,027 women.
The Israeli death toll is around 1,400, according to official figures.
