Turkey: Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, has condemned Israel’s bombing and blockade of the Gaza Strip, calling the act a “massacre.” Mr. Erdogan stated that “even war had a morality, but the flare-up since the weekend had very severely violated that.”
“Preventing people from meeting their most fundamental needs and bombing housing where civilians live. In short, conducting a conflict using every sort of shameful method. It is not a war; it’s a massacre,” the Turkish President commented, referring to Israel cutting off electricity and water to Gaza and destroying infrastructure.
“We openly oppose the killing of civilians in Israeli territories. Likewise, we can never accept the massacre of defenceless innocents in Gaza by indiscriminate, constant bombardments,” Mr. Erdogan added.
According to reports, at least 1,055 Palestinians have been killed and thousands wounded in Israeli bombings in Gaza since the Palestinian armed group Hamas launched an unprecedented raid inside Israel. At least 1,200 Israelis have also been killed and more than 100 taken hostage in the ongoing conflict.
Israel has put Gaza under “total siege” to stop food and fuel from reaching the enclave of 2.3 million people, many of whom are poor and dependent on aid. The Gaza administration recently stated that electricity went out after the only power station stopped working.
“Israel should not forget that if it acts like an organisation, not as a state, it will eventually come to be seen like one,” Mr. Erdogan warned.
“We call on countries in the Americas, Europe, and other regions to take up a position between the parties that is fair, just, and based on humanitarian balances. Everyone should refrain from acts that will wholly punish the Palestinian people, like blocking humanitarian aid,” the Turkish President remarked.
Ankara has further offered to mediate in the ongoing conflict, with Mr. Erdogan and his foreign minister holding calls with regional powers, the US, and others.
TRENDING | Coldplay countersues former manager following his lawsuit
