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Israel is committing atrocities against civilians as it steps up its military operations in Gaza, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in an explosive broadside that appeared to pull him away from earlier ambitions of acting as a mediator in the crisis.
“We had plans to travel to Israel. It has been cancelled — we will not go,” he said in a speech to governing AK Party lawmakers on Wednesday. “I invite all other countries with reason and conscience to put pressure on the … government to return the state of Israel to sanity,” he added, claiming “crimes against humanity” are now being committed against ordinary Palestinians.
At the same time, in a major break with NATO allies, Erdoğan insisted that Palestinian militant group Hamas “is not a terrorist organization, but a group of freedom and mujahideen [warriors] who are striving to protect their lands and their citizens.”
More than 1,400 Israelis were killed by Hamas fighters in a surprise attack on October 7, and the Israeli armed forces say 203 hostages, including women and children, have been abducted and are now being held in Gaza. Four Israeli women have been released as part of a deal brokered by Qatar.
Israel has launched a campaign of airstrikes that it says target military targets, and has given residents of Gaza City the order to evacuate amid growing domestic calls for a ground offensive. The Hamas-controlled health ministry claims that almost 5,800 people have been killed in the region since then.
The EU has condemned Hamas’ “appalling terrorist attack against Israel,” while warning that the cutting off of water and electricity supplies in Gaza “and the pressure on civilians to leave their homes is against international law.” The U.S., which lists Hamas as a terrorist organization, has pledged “rock solid and unwavering” support for Israel, and has dispatched shipments of weapons and ammunition to support its close ally.
Elçin Poyrazlar and Leyla Aksu contributed reporting.
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