Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reiterated that Ankara will continue to make every effort to help find peaceful solutions to regional disputes, including the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Erdogan made the statements in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday, addressing the Russia-Ukraine war as well as the conflicts between Israel and Palestine and the humanitarian crisis in the region, Türkiye’s Communications Directorate said on X.
“Stating that it is possible to resolve through peaceful means the regional conflicts, particularly the Israel-Palestine dispute, President Erdoğan noted that Türkiye will continue to make every effort to that end,” it added.
Erdogan on Saturday also held phone calls with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda on the same issues.
In his call with Stoltenberg, Erdogan stated that "the attitudes of Western countries increase human rights violations" in Palestine's Gaza, and that failure to stop Israel will lead to irreparable consequences.
The Turkish president urged the West and the world public opinion to take immediate action to end humanitarian tragedies that are ignored despite unfolding before our eyes.
4,385 killed in Gaza
The conflict in Palestine's Gaza, under Israeli bombardment and blockade since October 7, began when Hamas initiated Operation Al Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air.
It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
The death toll in Gaza due to the ongoing Israeli attacks has climbed to 4,385 including 1,756 children on Saturday, while the figure stands at more than 1,400 people in Israel.
Earlier today, a humanitarian convoy of 20 trucks began to enter the Gaza Strip from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, the first since the armed conflict broke out between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas on October 7.
