Türkiye only country showing strongest reaction to Israeli massacre in Gaza, says president

ANKARA

Türkiye is the only country showing the strongest reaction to the massacre in Gaza and taking concrete measures against Israel, the country’s president said on Saturday.

“We are the only country that has shown the strongest reaction to the massacre in Gaza since Oct. 7, and taken concrete measures against Israel,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an AK Party’s consultation and assessment meeting in the Kizilcihamam district of the capital Ankara.

Türkiye stopped commercial transactions with Israel, first in 54 items and then in all items, he added.

Noting that Türkiye “stands tall with the heroic people of Palestine” who defend their homeland, he said his country does not hesitate to shout out the Palestinian resistance.

Erdogan also hailed the Turkish parliament's decision to condemn Israeli massacres in Rafah, saying the decision is “extremely valuable.”

Regarding the situation in Palestine, he said Türkiye has sent over 55,000 tons of humanitarian aid to the region.

On May 26, Israel launched an airstrike on a camp for displaced people in Rafah that killed at least 45 people, mostly women and children.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Around 36,400 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and over 82,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in its latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.