Erdogan says Israel will ‘set sights’ on Turkiye if Hamas defeated

Istanbul, Turkey — AFP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed that Israel would “set its sights” on Turkey if it succeeded in defeating Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Erdogan, a vocal critic of Israel’s unprecedented war on Gaza, has often expressed support for the Palestinian group as defenders of their homeland.

“Do not think that Israel will stop in Gaza,” Erdogan told his party lawmakers in the parliament in the capital Ankara.

“Unless it’s stopped… this rogue and terrorist state will set its sights on Anatolia sooner or later,” he said, referring to the large Turkish peninsula also called Asia Minor that comprises more than half of Turkey’s territory.

“We will continue to stand by Hamas, which fights for the independence of its own land and which defends Anatolia,” added Erdogan.

The Turkish leader said more than 1,000 members of Hamas were being treated in Turkish hospitals amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

Israel’s bombardment and offensive in Gaza have killed more than 35,000 people, mostly women and children, and have reduced the besieged territory to utter ruins.