As he reiterated his criticism of Israel on Monday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also cited Türkiye was leading the world in aid sent to Gaza. So far, 50,000 tons of humanitarian assistance has been sent to the besieged enclave where Israel's onslaught continues, said Erdoğan at an event in the Turkish capital, Ankara.
"Türkiye has reached the position of the country sending the most aid to Gaza in the world with 50,000 tons of humanitarian aid sent so far,” he said.
Erdoğan also added that Türkiye, along with its government, citizens and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), stands out as "one of the nations" that has "most effectively" navigated the challenges concerning Gaza.
Nearly 34,700 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and 78,000 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities. About seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the U.N.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop "genocidal acts" and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians there.
