Israel, its backers responsible for every death in Gaza: Turkish President Erdogan

ISTANBUL (AA) — Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said Israel and its backers are responsible for every person who has died in Gaza due to severe food, water, and medicine shortages.

“The responsibility for every innocent person who dies in Gaza due to starvation, thirst, or lack of medicine lies with Israel and its supporters,” Erdogan told a news conference with his visiting Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the capital Ankara.

Saying that the meeting with al-Sisi also focused the current situation in Palestine, Erdogan reiterated that their top priority is ending the “ongoing genocide” in the blockaded enclave and establishing a lasting cease-fire, along with ensuring the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid.

Claiming that 32% of the total aid sent to Gaza so far came from Türkiye, Erdogan thanked Egyptian authorities, particularly the Egyptian Red Crescent, who have collaborated with the Turkish Red Crescent and Türkiye’s Disaster and Relief Agency (AFAD) in delivering the supplies.

“By obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid, the Israeli administration adds another crime to its list. It attempts to break the resistance spirit of the Palestinian people,” he added.

Erdogan stressed that the “culprits” who are behind the death of 41,000 people in Gaza should be standing in courtrooms, not at congressional podiums, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent address to the US Congress.

Commenting on the mediation by Egypt, Qatar, and the US for a cease-fire in Gaza, Erdogan said Türkiye is supporting the process through its Foreign Ministry and National Intelligence Organization.

He underlined that Tel Aviv has maintained an “uncompromising, obstructive” stance in truce talks with Palestinian groups.

Referring to the killing of of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas who was assassinated in Tehran on July 31, the Turkish leader said Tel Aviv showed its mentality by killing the person with whom it was negotiating a truce. Israel has not officially claimed responsibility.

He said Ankara and Cairo have a common stance on Palestinian issue, adding that their contributions to regional peace and stability are “vital.”

He said Türkiye continues to do everything possible to increase pressure on Tel Aviv, and that it formally submitted a request to join proceedings in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

“We are also intensifying our efforts to ensure that Israeli officials who have committed crimes in Gaza are held accountable in international courts,” he added.

Saying that Ankara continues to remind the global community of its responsibilities, Erdogan accused some countries of still unconditionally supporting Israel, thus becoming complicit in the crimes being committed.

“Preventing Israel from dragging our region into further tension can only be achieved by abandoning ambivalent policies,” Erdogan said.

On recent remarks by Netanyahu against Egypt, Erdogan said Ankara rejects the accusations.

Netanyahu on Monday once again refused to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor, a demilitarized area along Egypt’s border with Gaza. He claimed that the corridor was a “lifeline” for Hamas to rearm, alleging that weapons are being smuggled to the Palestinian resistance group through the Egyptian border.

Cairo accused Netanyahu of “trying to involve Egypt to divert Israeli public opinion and obstruct a cease-fire and hostage swap deal, as well as hindering mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar, and the US.”