Turkey on Sunday condemned attempts by hundreds of Israeli settlers to force their way into the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem, as well as ongoing Israeli attacks that have caused the deaths of Palestinian civilians.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said recent Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, which began on Friday, had resulted in the deaths of many civilians, including children.
It added that on Sunday, "fanatical Jewish groups," including Israeli lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir, stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque under police protection.
The ministry "strongly condemned" the Israeli attacks on civilians, as well as the attempts to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, calling them "provocative actions" that openly violate the status quo of the area in occupied East Jerusalem.
It underlined that such actions would further fuel tensions in the region, calling on Tel Aviv not to allow such actions aimed at the status and spirituality of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.
Israeli warplanes continued airstrikes in the Gaza Strip for the third day on Sunday, for what the Israeli army said was to prevent an "imminent threat of attacks" by the Islamic Jihad movement.
At least 31 Palestinians have been killed, including six children and four women, and over 275 others injured in the Israeli offensive, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The attacks came amid rising tensions across Palestine following the detention of Bassam al-Saadi, a senior leader of Islamic Jihad, in an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin early this week.
The Israeli army said the Gaza offensive may last for a week. But the head of Israel's domestic intelligence service Shin Bet on Sunday recommended ending the Gaza offensive, saying the onslaught achieved its goals by dealing a heavy blow to Islamic Jihad.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu spoke by phone Sunday with the political leader of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on the latest developments in the region.
During the call, Çavuşoğlu and Ismail Haniyeh discussed the latest Israeli attacks on Gaza and raid attempts on the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, according to a statement by the Foreign Ministry.
Ties between Turkey and Israel froze over after the death of 10 civilians in an Israeli raid on a Turkish flotilla carrying aid for the Gaza Strip in 2010. The two countries once again expelled their ambassadors in 2018 after another bitter falling-out and relations since remained tense. In recent months, however, the two countries have been working on a rapprochement.
Turkey normalizing relations with Israel would not mean a change in Ankara's Palestine policy, Çavuşoğlu has said.
Despite the recent rapprochement, Turkish officials continue to criticize Israel’s policies targeting Palestinians, including the illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Known for its unbreakable solidarity with the Palestinians, Turkey has been voicing support for the Palestinian cause in the international realm for decades. Turkish authorities emphasize that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Middle East is through a fair and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue within the framework of international law and United Nations resolutions.
Turkey is making an effort to mend its frayed ties through intensified diplomacy with regional powers, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, after years of tensions. Erdoğan earlier reiterated that Turkey hopes to maximize cooperation with Egypt and Gulf nations "on a win-win basis."
