Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called on Israel Saturday to end its "state of madness" and stop the ongoing attack on Gaza following an escalation in operations overnight.
"The continuously increasing and intensified Israeli bombardments directed towards Gaza have once again targeted women, children, and innocent civilians, deepening the ongoing humanitarian crisis," Erdoğan said on X.
The president asked the Turkish nation to join the "Great Palestine Meeting," a rally at Istanbul's Atatürk Airport, scheduled for Saturday afternoon to show support for Palestinians. He is expected to address the gathering.
The ongoing conflict began on Oct. 7 when the Palestinian group Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood – a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air.
Hamas said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
The Israeli military then launched a relentless bombardment of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. The campaign intensified Friday night after the military said it was expanding air and ground operations into the territory. It also cut internet and communications in the besieged enclave.
At least 7,326 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli attacks. Some 70% of the Palestinian deaths are women and children, according to official figures.
The death toll in Israel stands at more than 1,400.
Gaza's 2.3 million residents are grappling with shortages of food, water, and medicine due to Israel's massive air bombardment and total blockade of the enclave.
U.N. General Assembly late Friday approved a resolution calling for a humanitarian truce, but Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen called it "despicable” and rejected it.
