Türkiye will make efforts to rebuild damaged infrastructure, hospitals and schools in Gaza if a cease-fire is achieved there, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Saturday.
If a cease-fire is reached, we will do whatever is necessary to compensate for the destruction caused by Israel,” Erdoğan told reporters on his plane returning from a trip to Berlin, where he held talks with German leaders.
“We will make efforts to rebuild the damaged infrastructure in Gaza and rebuild the destroyed schools, hospitals, water and energy facilities,” he said.
Israeli strikes have heavily damaged vital infrastructure, hospitals and schools. The number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip has risen to 12,300 since the start of the war, while thousands are reportedly missing.
This is by far the highest number of deaths among Palestinians during a war in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and comes amid Israel’s air and ground offensive, with the stated aim of eliminating Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.
Israel’s massive air bombardment of Gaza began after Hamas launched a surprise operation against communities in southern Israel near the Gaza border, killing some 1,200 people and taking about 240 people hostage, on Oct. 7.
“The right step for Gaza to be taken is to ensure a cease-fire as soon as possible and our priority will be to establish permanent peace together with the cease-fire,” Erdoğan underlined.
Erdoğan said Türkiye’s support of the Palestinian cause ensures that the voice of Gazans is heard around the world.
“Türkiye’s full support for the just Palestinian cause ensures the voice of our brothers and sisters in Gaza is heard. We are aware of our historical responsibility and act accordingly,” the president underlined.
He said the final declaration of the recently held joint summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League in Riyadh was shaped by “our suggestions and theses.”
“I find this extremely valuable. Now the whole world looks at what Türkiye says on almost every issue,” he added.
In the final communique of the Arab-Islamic summit, Muslim countries called for an immediate end to Israeli military actions in Gaza, rejecting Israel’s justification of its actions against Palestinians as self-defense.
Besides providing humanitarian aid and stepping up diplomacy, Türkiye is also trying to mediate the hostage crisis. Erdoğan said the families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas had sent him a letter requesting that he intervene to secure their release, and he assured that Türkiye’s intelligence agency had been activated to look into the issue.
Erdoğan also said there is “ample evidence” to hold the Israeli government accountable at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“There is ample evidence for the Israeli administration to be tried at the International Criminal Court. We will do everything we can to punish these crimes impartially.”
“With over 2,000 lawyers, we will file a complaint about this genocide to relevant institutions. We will follow up as we cannot give up on this. They have to be held accountable,” Erdoğan told a gathering with a students’ organization in Istanbul on Saturday.
“These crimes definitely need to be followed at the international level, investigated and oppressors must receive necessary punishment,” Erdoğan said, referring to Israel’s incessant attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.
He also criticized the West for its stance on the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
“The West, bound by crusader imperialist ideals, is together. Unfortunately, I witnessed this during my Germany visit. The German president reflects the same mindset,” Erdoğan said.
Erdoğan said he told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that Ankara was saddened to see Germany as one of the countries that abstained from a U.N. General Assembly resolution that called for a humanitarian truce in Gaza.
The 193-member world body adopted on Oct. 27 the non-binding resolution by a vote of 120-14 with 45 abstentions. France voted for the measure; Germany, Italy and the U.K. abstained, while Austria and the U.S. voted against it.
Erdoğan added that Israel, through lies, tries to legitimate its attacks on Gaza. “Today, again, with made-up pretexts, they try to rationalize the war crimes they committed in Gaza.”
He also spoke on continuing discontent with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing increased scrutiny over his failure to prevent the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. He said Netanyahu’s actions significantly affected his country and the world.
“Hopefully, Israel will get rid of him, and all the Jews in the world will get rid of him. Currently, 60%-70% of his own country’s citizens oppose Netanyahu.”
