Erdogan Calls Israeli Actions in Gaza 'Open Genocide'

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that the situation in the Gaza Strip is not a war, but rather an "open genocide." He made these remarks during a graduation ceremony for officers at the National Defense University.

"Even words are no longer enough to describe the massacre that has occurred in the Gaza Strip. Almost three-quarters of the Gaza Strip has been turned into ruins. What is happening to civilian areas in Gaza since October 7 is not war; what is happening in the Gaza Strip is open genocide. We advocate for the immediate establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza. At the NATO summit, we made it clear to our interlocutors that more pressure needs to be exerted on the Israeli government regarding the resolution of issues in the Gaza Strip,” Erdogan said.

It is worth recalling that large-scale military operations between Israel and Hamas began in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel on the morning of October 7, 2023. The death toll in Gaza is approaching 39,000, with over 38,400 people killed since the beginning of October 2023. To date, the number of casualties from Israeli aggression in Gaza has reached 38,443. During this period, 88,481 people have been affected in the enclave. In the last 24 hours alone, according to the Health Ministry, 61 Palestinians have died, and 129 have been injured due to Israeli bombings and airstrikes in various regions of the strip.