Speaking at a meeting of his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan highlighted Türkiye's commitment to the Palestinian cause.
''We are conducting intense efforts in every field, from humanitarian aid, diplomatic contacts to suspension of trade, the recognition of the State of Palestine,'' he said as he addressed lawmakers and other members of the AK Party at the party's headquarters.
''As Türkiye, we do whatever is necessary without hesitation to end the mass slaughter in which 67,000 of our Gazan brothers and sisters were martyred, nearly 170,000 innocent people have been wounded,'' he added. ''It is not fair to put the burden of peace solely on Hamas and Palestinians."
Türkiye welcomed a peace plan by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the Palestine-Israel conflict and dispatched its intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalın to monitor the talks between Israel and Hamas in Egypt for the achievement of the plan. Erdoğan said Wednesday that they provided active support to Trump's peace endeavor, "to get the region out of this deadlock."
"In our talks with other leaders, the genocide in Gaza and Israel's escalating aggression always top the agenda. We raise awareness of the fact that the Israeli government, acting upon the delusion of the 'Promised Land,' may drive our region to a catastrophe if it is not stopped. Our goal is to ensure lasting stability in our region before more innocent lives are lost," he said.
Erdoğan stated that the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas responded positively to Trump's plan and openly displayed its willingness for peace. "Yet, peace is not a one-winged bird. Putting all the burden of achieving peace on Hamas and Palestinians is not fair, right, or realistic," he said.
The president pointed out that Israel's attacks were the biggest obstacle to peace. "Despite Mr. Trump's calls, Israel continues its attacks, undermining the positive atmosphere. If peace is desired, Israel's attacks should immediately stop. The Israeli government has to understand that nothing can be achieved through bloodshed, banditry and massacres. In the past two years, they outdid Hitler in terms of genocide. They confined 2.5 million people to an area of 365 square kilometers and exposed them to all types of oppression. They murdered journalists, doctors and aid workers. They weaponized hunger and starved innocent children to death. They turned Gaza into a giant mass of rubble. Yet, they failed to break the will of resistance among the people of Gaza. They could not bring heroic sons of Gaza, defending their lands, to their knees. They turned Gaza into the world's largest children's cemetery, but they failed to take all Gazans captive," he said.
