Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday accused Israel of committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip. “Israeli bombing towards Gaza is once again targeting women, children and innocent civilians,” he said. On the same day, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen dismissed some of the diplomats representing the country in Turkey due to “serious claims” made by the country’s authorities.
– Hamas is not a terrorist organization, while Israel is an occupier – said the Turkish president on Saturday Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a rally of thousands in support of Palestine in Istanbul. The Turkish leader blamed the West for the tragedy of the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip.
The demonstration is intended – according to President Erdogan – to “show the world the brotherhood between Turks and Palestinians.” Several thousand people gathered at the Istanbul airport carrying Turkish and Palestinian flags and banners with slogans: “We are all Palestinians” and “End genocide, let the children live.”
– The main culprit of the massacre in Gaza is the West. This is his work, Erdogan told the crowd. The politician accused the leaders of Western countries of “shedding tears” over the deaths of civilians Ukraine and “turning a blind eye” to the deaths of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. He described the situation as an “atmosphere reminiscent of the crusades” of Christianity against Islam.
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The Anatolia Agency reported that representatives of many political parties participated in the rally Turkeymedia, the world of culture and art, sports and business.
Earlier on Saturday, the Turkish president pointed out on the X platform (formerly Twitter) that “the constantly escalating, intensified Israeli bombings towards Gaza are once again targeting women, children and innocent civilians.” The Turkish leader called on Israel – which he accused of committing war crimes – to “free itself from this state of madness.”
Israel on ‘reassessment of relations’
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on Saturday dismissed some of the diplomats representing the country in Turkey in connection with “serious claims” made by the country’s authorities.
“Due to the claims made by the Turkish authorities, I recalled some of our diplomats from this country to reassess the relations between Israel and Turkey,” Cohen wrote on the X (formerly Twitter) platform.
Hamas attack, Israel’s response
Hamas’ October 7 strike from the Gaza Strip resulted in the highest number of Israeli deaths since 1973, when the Jewish state fought a war with the Syrian-Egyptian coalition. About 1,400 people have died during the 21-day conflict. Israeli citizens and over 7.7 thousand inhabitants of the Gaza Strip.
Hamas attack on Israel PAP/Reuters – Maciej Zieliński
After the outbreak of fighting in Israel and the Gaza Strip, the Turkish authorities offered mediation to stop hostilities. “A lasting peace in the Middle East is only possible through a final resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” Erdogan noted on October 8.
The Israeli military said Saturday it had expanded military operations involving infantry and armored units in the Gaza Strip, stepping up its attack on Hamas terrorists. Earlier in the day, the army said that night strikes hit about 150 Palestinian targets located in underground tunnels.
Main photo source: x.com/@Recep Tayyip Erdoğan