Türkiye, Israel trade barbs on social media in Hamas row

ANKARA

In a war of words on social media, Türkiye and Israel have engaged in an exchange over the status of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, as the Turkish ministry responded sharply to Israeli top diplomat Eli Cohen's statement on X, formerly Twitter.

Cohen's post on Dec. 2, directed at President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, suggested that Türkiye could potentially host Hamas terrorists fleeing from Gaza. In response, the Turkish ministry accused Israel of invasion and condemned the attacks on the Palestinian civilian population.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli issued a statement emphasizing the disproportionate use of force against civilians by what they termed an "occupying power." The statement rejected the notion that such actions could be justified as self-defense.

"Brute force against an entire civilian population by an occupying power cannot be legitimized as self-defense," the statement read, highlighting Türkiye's stance against what it sees as Israeli aggression.

The spokesperson asserted that the root cause of the ongoing conflict lies in the Israeli occupation, along with its perceived expansionist mentality and repressive actions that "disregard international law, human rights and universal principles."

"As the history of the conflict shows, the more Israeli oppresses Palestinians and destroys their basic freedoms, the more resistance it will face as many more Palestinians will continue to seek the realization of their collective and individual rights," the statement continued.

Ankara's strong rebuke came hours after Cohen's post reading, “The Hamas-ISIS terrorist organization will not exist in Gaza on the day after. We will free Gaza from Hamas, for the sake of Israel's security and to create a better future for the residents of the region."

The Israeli minister's remarks were in response to Erdoğan's reaffirmation that Türkiye does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization.