President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told reporters on Sunday that cease-fire talks on Gaza can be concluded at any time, noting that a cease-fire amid Israel’s attacks on the Palestinian enclave can be achieved soon. He said the approach of the Netanyahu administration would define it. Erdoğan also warned Israel against spillover of the conflict to the wider region amid an exchange of fire between Israel and forces in Lebanon.
Answering questions as he was returning to Türkiye from Germany, where he watched a Euro 2024 match between the national football teams of Türkiye and the Netherlands, Erdoğan said they were witnessing “substantially positive developments over the past few days” in Gaza. He said that the Mossad chief was engaged in talks with Hamas officials in Doha and some positive steps were taken for a permanent cease-fire. “Cease-fire can be anytime. We can hear the news about it at any time. But it all comes down to the attitude of Netanyahu,” Erdoğan said.
Erdoğan was planning to normalize relations with Tel Aviv but deteriorated over the latter’s policies against Palestinians. Shortly before the new round of conflict erupted in October 2023, he even met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the United States for a rare normalization step. But developments since then changed all and Erdoğan is under the spotlight as one of the few leaders openly opposing Israel’s attacks in Gaza. The president alternately called Netanyahu a “butcher” and a “modern-day Hitler” and decried the international community for failure to stop him.
“Israel should stop dragging its feet to cease these massacres and end these inhumane attacks,” Erdoğan quoted on Sunday. “It is essential that the international community, particularly Western countries, exert more pressure on Israel to that extent. Israel is the only side insisting on attacks and massacres. It is the only side violating human rights, trampling on international law,” he said.
Erdoğan denounced Israel for threatening Lebanon “to spread the conflict.” “Israel should abandon this intention. Western countries, particularly the U.S., should stop giving support to Israel. Since day one, Türkiye sided with peace. Türkiye has the loudest voice in expressing opposition to the conflict and raises its voice on permanent peace that can be achieved through a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders,” he said.
For months, efforts by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt to mediate an agreement between Israel and Hamas for a hostage exchange and cease-fire have been hampered by Netanyahu's rejection of Hamas's call to halt hostilities.
Israel, flouting a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.
More than 38,150 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 87,800 others injured, according to local health authorities.
Nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
