"A bloodthirsty network continues striking schools and hospitals in Iran and Lebanon as it did in Gaza,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said at an event held for the March 14 Medicine Day at Istanbul University’s Faculty of Medicine. Erdoğan's remarks were a continuation of his relentless criticism of Israel's "genocidal regime," whose attacks claimed tens of thousands of lives since October 2023.
Speaking about the escalating regional tensions, Erdoğan said Türkiye stands among the countries advocating reason, dialogue and diplomacy.
"Against this state of madness, Türkiye is among the leading countries defending humanity, advocating reason, and seeking solutions to crises through dialogue and diplomacy,” he said.
Referring to the humanitarian toll of the conflict in Gaza, Erdoğan said the world has witnessed scenes where human life is disregarded and civilians, including babies in incubators and children sent to school with smiles, have been killed in bombings. He said during the Gaza war, doctors, nurses and other health care workers were also targeted, with nearly 1,700 health care personnel killed as a result of Israel's "state terror."
Regional tensions have flared since Israel and the U.S. launched joint attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,200 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and more than 150 children at a girls' elementary school. Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting "U.S. military assets.”
Erdoğan said Türkiye’s approach to regional developments is guided by humanitarian values and justice rather than geopolitical or economic interests.
"We will maintain our humanitarian stance that looks at events not through the value of oil, gold, natural gas or minerals, but through the lens of justice, compassion, mercy and human dignity,” he said.
Speaking about the value of human life, Erdoğan also cited Verse 32 of Surah Al-Ma’idah in the Quran, which states that saving a life is akin to saving all humanity.
He emphasized that Türkiye’s governing philosophy places the protection of human life at its core, recalling the principle, "Let the people live so that the state may live.”
The Israeli military recently warned that it may strike ambulances and medical facilities in Lebanon, which it said were being used "unlawfully" by Hezbollah, though it did not provide evidence for the claim. A Hezbollah official said that the group was not using ambulances and medical facilities for military purposes.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request to provide evidence that Hezbollah was using medical facilities or ambulances "unlawfully." At least 26 medics and first responders have been killed in Israeli strikes since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. The Israeli military says it takes precautions to try to reduce any harm to civilians.
On Friday, Israeli aircraft dropped flyers over Beirut threatening to inflict damage on Lebanon similar to the devastation wrought on Gaza during Israel's two-year war with Hamas. Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble, and its population killed and largely displaced.
During its genocidal campaign in Gaza, Israel launched numerous raids and attacks on hospitals, claiming they were being used by Hamas. Hamas has denied embedding among Gaza's civilians.
Civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, are protected sites under international law. Both attacking hospitals and their use for military purposes are typically considered a breach of law, though they can lose their protected status under certain conditions.
