Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç reiterated Türkiye’s steadfast opposition to Israel on Monday and said those behind the genocide targeting Palestinians would be held accountable for their crimes one day.
Speaking at an event in northern Türkiye, Tunç decried international support for Israel while hailing the cease-fire in Gaza and Türkiye’s growing humanitarian aid delivery to the Palestinian enclave. He noted that Türkiye has so far dispatched 102,000 tons of aid to Palestine, and more aid aboard vessels were being sent to help Palestinians suffering from the Israeli blockade.
The minister noted Gaza experienced widespread horror and a genocide that continued for more than two years, while expressing hope that the cease-fire that came into force on Oct. 13 would hold.
“Some 68,000 Palestinians were killed in the past two years, and 80% of them were women and children. More than 20,000 children were killed. Yet, people have been silent about children’s rights. We did not hear from Westerners, nonprofit groups advocating for children’s rights. We did not hear from the state signatories of the children’s rights convention. And we did not hear from Western countries advocating women’s rights,” Tunç lamented.
He noted that everything constituting the crime of genocide took place in Gaza in the past two years. “Yet, no one remembers the Geneva Convention, no one remembers humanitarian law. They bombed refugee camps, marketplaces, and razed towns to the ground and blocked humanitarian aid. Some 500 Palestinians were starved to death, and more than 50 among them were children. The world witnessed children dying of hunger before their very eyes,” he stated.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
The Turkish public and government are major supporters of the Palestinian cause. Türkiye has been a traditional ally to Palestine, but as the Israeli attacks became more brutal, Ankara has become harsher in its criticism in the past year. It has condemned what it calls genocide, halted all trade with Israel and applied to join the genocide case against Israel at the World Court, which Israel rejects.
In addition to delivering humanitarian aid, Türkiye has sought to rally international organizations, including the U.N., NATO and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to restrain Israel.
Tunç said Israel failed to comply with more than 100 international resolutions against its actions and violated international laws.
“Indiscriminate killings of people, forced displacement, bombing of hospitals and schools are elements of genocide,” he said, reminding that Türkiye sought to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel.
The minister said Türkiye hoped that the latest cease-fire deal would be permanent, but unfortunately, they had witnessed its occasional violation. “We will continue supporting the oppressed Palestinians. Perpetrators of the genocide appear to enjoy impunity now due to loopholes in the international system, but a day will come when they will be judged by humanity and will be held accountable for what they’ve done,” he concluded.
