Türkiye on Wednesday strongly condemned the Israeli police raid on East Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, saying the attack on Muslim worshippers during Ramadan violates the sanctity of the site and was unacceptable.
In a statement released by the Foreign Ministry, Türkiye said: "We condemn the Israeli security forces raiding Al-Aqsa Mosque ... detaining many Palestinian civilians by violating the sanctity of the Haram-i Sharif and the historical status quo since last night."
"These attacks against those who pray in Masjid Al-Aqsa during the holy month of Ramadan are in no way acceptable."
It also voiced concerns over the escalation of violence across the region.
"We are very concerned about the escalation that has already spread to the region, especially Gaza," the statement said.
Türkiye also called for calm and urged Israel to cease violence and provocations.
"The Israeli government must immediately cease all provocations, actions and attacks that may lead to a further escalation of tensions in the region," it added.
Later in the day, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also condemned the raid.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels following a NATO foreign ministers' meeting, Çavuşoğlu said Israel had "violated" the sanctity of the compound during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and "took a step that would disrupt its historical status."
"We had warned them to prevent such provocations, especially during Ramadan," during Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's visit to Türkiye following the Feb. 6 earthquakes in Türkiye and his meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Çavuşoğlu added.
"Israel should end such attacks immediately," he added.
Noting the resumption of "dialogue" with Israel, Çavuşoğlu said: "But our engagement with Israel certainly cannot come at the expense of the Palestinian cause." He added: "In that regard, we never compromise our principles or our beliefs."
