Erdogan calls Netanyahu ‘butcher of Gaza’

Ankara, Turkey — AFP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has branded hardline Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “the butcher of Gaza” and accused him of spawning anti-Semitism across the world.

Erdogan has lashed out repeatedly at Israel for the scale of death and destruction caused by its war on Gaza launched on October 7.

Erdogan branded Israel a “terrorist state” and called Hamas “a liberation group” during an appearance before his AK party members in parliament.

“Netanyahu has already written his name in history as the butcher of Gaza,” Erdogan said in nationally televised remarks.

“Netanyahu is endangering the security of all Jews in the world by supporting anti-Semitism with the murders he committed in Gaza.”

Erdogan’s censure of the Zionist government is likely to have an adverse impact on relations between Turkiye and Israel.

The two sides last year reappointed ambassadors following a decade-long rupture in ties.

They had also been discussing developing closer trade relations and working on new energy projects that could have helped build longer-term trust.

The Gaza war prompted Israel to recall all diplomatic staff from Turkiye and other regional countries as a security precaution.

Turkiye has also withdrawn its Tel Aviv envoy in protest over Israel’s approach.

Mediators are trying meanwhile, to extend an Israel-Hamas truce that has allowed 60 Israeli and 180 Palestinian prisoners to be released since last week.

Erdogan said Netanyahu’s government was complicating those efforts by continuing to discuss plans to ‘eradicate Hamas.’

“Statements made by the Netanyahu administration diminish our hopes for the humanitarian pause to be transformed into a lasting ceasefire,” Erdogan said.

The truce agreement has brought a temporary halt to Israel’s assault on Gaza that has killed nearly 15,000 people who include mostly women and children, and reduced large parts of the north of the territory to rubble.