Türkiye on Wednesday blasted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his allegations against Egypt, accusing him of attempting to manipulate public opinion to cover up crimes committed in Gaza and hinder ongoing cease-fire negotiations.
"Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu continues his lies to manipulate public opinion to cover up his crimes in Gaza and prevent the cease-fire talks from reaching a conclusion," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The statement further said that Netanyahu's recent allegations against Egypt for maintaining the Israeli military presence in the Philadelphi Corridor are "unacceptable."
"We support the mediation efforts of the Arab Republic of Egypt to end the war in Gaza and to extend a helping hand to millions of our Palestinian brothers and sisters," the statement said.
On Monday, Netanyahu renewed his refusal to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor, a demilitarized area along Egypt's border with Gaza. The Israeli premier claimed that the corridor was a "lifeline" for Hamas to rearm, alleging that weapons are being smuggled to the Palestinian resistance group through the Egyptian border.
Cairo accused Netanyahu of "trying to involve Egypt to divert Israeli public opinion and obstruct a cease-fire and hostage swap deal, as well as hindering mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the U.S.
Türkiye has been fiercely critical of Israel’s brutal offensive in Gaza, which it and others say amounts to genocide. It has also slammed many Western allies for their support of Israel. Ankara urges Israel to reciprocate the constructive approach of the Palestinians in cease-fire negotiations and the international community to pressure Netanyahu’s government.
Tensions between Israel and Türkiye have risen sharply since the start of the war in Gaza as Ankara has cut off commercial ties with Tel Aviv, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan repeatedly trading barbs with Netanyahu.
