Turkey on Friday condemned Israel's excessive use of force against Palestinians during demonstrations in the Gaza Strip, resulting in at least 15 protestors being killed by Israeli army gunfire.
"Israel must immediately cease the use of force that will further increase tension in the region," said a Foreign Ministry statement, expressing concern over deaths and injuries due to Israel's excessive use of force.
Turkey calls on the international community to fulfill its responsibility to deter Israel from this aggressive attitude, the statement added.
The presidency spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın also released a statement, strongly condemning Israeli use of force against peaceful protests.
Urging for Israel to put an end to its increasing systematic violence against Palestinians, Kalın called on the U.N. and the international community to take action against the country's "unacceptable" human rights violations.
Earlier Friday, thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip converged on the strip's eastern border with Israel, where they are holding mass rallies reaffirming their right to return to their ancestral homes in historical Palestine.
At least 15 Palestinian demonstrators were killed and at least 1,400 were injured Friday by Israeli troops deployed near the Gaza border.
Dubbed the "Great Return March," Friday's mass demonstrations also included rallies across the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The rallies have been endorsed by virtually all Palestinian political factions, which have repeatedly stressed the event's peaceful nature.
Friday's demonstrations also coincide with Land Day, which commemorates the murder of six Palestinians by Israeli forces in 1976.
