Erdoğan calls for Islamic unity amid ongoing Gaza tragedy

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday emphasized the importance of unity and joint action for Islamic countries in response to Israel’s ongoing onslaught in Gaza.

President Erdoğan said the latest developments in the Gaza Strip and occupied Palestinian territories since Oct. 7, 2023, have once again demonstrated the critical importance of Islamic nations’ unity and solidarity.

He made these remarks in a video message to the International Humanitarian Summit on “The Future of Gaza,” which was organized in Istanbul by Türkiye’s Diyanet Foundation and Al Khair Foundation.

"In full view of the world, nearly 50,000 of our Palestinian sisters and brothers, most of them children and women, have been martyred,” he said, adding: “As a result of Israel's bombardments directly targeting civilians, over 100,000 innocent Palestinians have been injured."

He lamented that Israel's attacks on Lebanon have resulted in over 3,500 deaths and that "places of worship, schools, hospitals, and all aspects of civilian infrastructure have been targets of Israel's assaults."

“In the face of these attacks, Türkiye stands in full solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters,” he vowed.

“Over the past year, we have especially sought to extend a helping hand to our sisters and brothers in Gaza and Lebanon,” Erdoğan stressed, recalling: “With over 86,000 tons of aid delivered, we are among the countries providing the most support to Palestine."

He pointed out that the amount of aid delivered to Lebanon has exceeded 1,300 tons, adding: “We are continuing our diplomatic efforts to ensure that Islamic countries respond collectively to the oppression in Gaza and act together.”

“Our struggle will continue until the occupation and massacres in Palestine come to an end and an independent, sovereign, and territorially unified Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, is established based on the 1967 borders,” he underlined, expressing his belief that “the international humanitarian aid summit will support us in this struggle.”

Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in October last year, killing over 44,300 people, most of them women and children, and injuring over 104,900.

The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions labeling the attacks and blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.

Last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.