Erdoğan offers new security mechanism amid Gaza war

ANKARA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced Türkiye's willingness to take responsibility for establishing a new security mechanism in the Gaza Strip, in cooperation with regional actors, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

"Our goal is to get our region out of this whirlpool it has been dragged into," Erdoğan told the media following a cabinet meeting late on Oct. 31.

Erdoğan emphasized the importance of creating a security mechanism through cooperation with the regional stakeholders. "As Türkiye, we are ready to take responsibility if such a step is taken," he stated.

The president also reiterated his call for a peace conference involving all relevant parties.

In his address, Erdoğan took the opportunity to criticize the response of European countries, particularly the EU, to the conflict. He accused them of "failing the test of humanity" in Gaza by not taking a more proactive stance.

"For exactly 25 days, everything that belongs to humanity has been destroyed one by one in Gaza, but the EU cannot even come out and call for a ceasefire, let alone condemn Israel," he stated.

Erdoğan also turned his attention to international media organizations, accusing them of "failing to report critically on the situation, even in the face of numerous casualties, including their employees."

"Those who are watching the deaths of thousands of Gaza children today will have no value in anything they say tomorrow," he remarked. "The main thing is to speak in difficult times, to express the truth today."

The president further condemned the recent targeting of a Turkish-run hospital in Gaza, describing it as "the latest victim of Israeli barbarism." Erdoğan underscored the importance of respecting humanitarian norms even in times of conflict.

"Hospitals are not touched even in the war, ambulances carrying patients are not hit, the health infrastructure of a country or city is not destroyed. This is the biggest difference between organizations and states," he stated.

Erdoğan reiterated Türkiye's commitment to a "humane, just and honorable approach" to the conflict.

"We state that security cannot be achieved by shedding more blood, killing more children, hitting more hospitals, schools, mosques, churches and marketplaces, and dropping more bombs on Gaza," he said. "We believe that Israel, which seems to have completely lost its state mind and acts like an organization, should be stopped as soon as possible."

Erdoğan also confirmed that negotiations are ongoing to "hold the perpetrators of war crimes committed in Gaza accountable before the law."