Turkiye stepping up diplomatic push for Gaza ceasefire, Turkish president says

Turkiye has stepped up diplomatic efforts to restore a ceasefire in the war-torn Gaza strip, the Turkish president said Friday, Anadolu Agency reports.

“We have accelerated our diplomatic contacts to restore the ceasefire, end the persecution, and stop the genocide network,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a traditional Nowruz event in Istanbul.

“Turkiye will never allow this criminal squad to turn the region into a sea of blood,” he said, referring to the Israeli government.

Erdogan added that Turkiye has increased humanitarian aid to support Gazans ahead of Eid al-Fitr, a holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Erdogan said that the children, women, civilians, and innocents who have been “martyred” in recent Israeli attacks in Gaza have broken everyone’s hearts. During these difficult days, Turkiye continues to stand by the Palestinians with all their resources, just as in the past, he said.

Turkiye will continue to take all necessary actions to ensure that the terrorist state, which feeds on the blood of children, is condemned not only in the conscience of humanity but also in international courts, he said.

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“I have said this before, and today I declare it once again: We will never allow this massacre squad, which grows more arrogant and reckless by the day, to turn our region into a sea of blood,” he said.

“Those trying to redraw maps for their own gain will, with God’s permission, never achieve their deceitful goals,” he added. “As nations living side by side and brotherly in this land for thousands of years, we will build our future full of peace, tranquility, and stability together. I wish God’s help and assistance for all the oppressed.”

More than 700 Palestinians have been killed and over 900 injured in a surprise aerial campaign by Israel on Gaza since Tuesday, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

Nearly 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 112,000 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

Erdogan said that the ongoing conflicts, oppression, and massacres in various parts of the world cast a shadow over the heart-warming atmosphere of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

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