Turkish support to Palestinian cause ensures Gazans are heard: President Erdogan

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said Türkiye's support to the Palestinian cause ensures that the voice of Gazans is heard around the world.

In a post on X, Erdogan said: "Türkiye's full support for the just Palestinian cause ensures the voice of our brothers and sisters in Gaza is heard. We are aware of our historical responsibility and act accordingly."

He said the final declaration of the recently held joint summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League in Riyadh was shaped by "our suggestions and theses."

"I find this extremely valuable. Now the whole world looks at what Türkiye says on almost every issue," he added.

In the final communique of the Arab-Islamic summit, Muslim countries called for an immediate end to Israeli military actions in Gaza, rejecting Israel's justification of its actions against Palestinians as self-defense.

Israel launched airstrikes and later a ground incursion in Gaza after the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian group Hamas.

It has since killed more than 12,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, flattened thousands of civilian structures, and enforced a full blockade resulting in shortage of basic supplies such as food, fuel and medicines.

The official Israeli death toll stands at around 1,200.