Erdogan, the president of Turkey, sharpened his condemnation of Israeli officials and those who support them in the West by declaring on Wednesday that Israel is a “terror state” that is breaking international law in Gaza and committing war crimes.

Erdogan stated that Israel’s military assault against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas comprised “the most treacherous attacks in human history” with “unlimited” assistance from the West, two days before he was scheduled to visit Germany to meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

He echoed Turkey’s and his views that Hamas is a political party that has won elections rather than a terrorist organization and demanded that Israeli leaders stand trial for war crimes at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Unlike Turkey, the United States, the European Union, Britain, and several Arab governments consider Hamas to be a terrorist organization. Ankara is a supporter of a two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue and accommodates some Hamas militants.
Erdogan criticized Israel in parliament, saying, “With the savagery of bombing the civilians it forced out of their homes while they are relocating, it is employing state terrorism.” “I can now declare with confidence that Israel is a terrorist state.

“We will never shy away from voicing the truth that Hamas members protecting their lands, honor, and lives in the face of occupation policies are resistance fighters, just because some people are uncomfortable with it,” he said.

Erdogan is making his first visit to a Western country since Israel started bombing Gaza on October 7 in retaliation for Hamas assaults. This journey will take him to Germany. Germany has urged attention to be paid to minimizing the effects of military operations on Gaza’s civilian population while also expressing strong solidarity with Israel.

Erdogan stated, “The West, namely the United States, is unfortunately still seeing this issue backwards,” and he threatened to summon the leaders of the nations who refrained from voting for an aid truce in Gaza during the UN General Assembly last month.

According to the Turkish presidency, Erdogan informed Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni later on Wednesday that Ankara expects Rome’s assistance in reaching a truce in Gaza. According to Meloni’s office, she demanded an immediate de-escalation in Gaza and added that Turkey was essential in halting the conflict’s development. Erdogan threatened to remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “goner” from his position and urged him to declare whether or not Israel had nuclear weapons.

Additionally, he described the situation as “a matter of cross and crescent.” He compared the battle between Israel, a Jewish state, and the Palestinians to a fight between the worlds of Islam and Christianity. He said that Ankara would also take action to guarantee that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory would be labeled as “terrorists.”

Thus far, Turkey and a medical team have supplied 666 tons of medical supplies, medication, and medical equipment to Egypt for Gazans. As part of a coordination system to send cancer patients and certain injured civilians to Turkey for treatment, Ankara has stated that it is collaborating with Egyptian and Israeli authorities. Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said at Egypt’s Al-Arish airport that 26 patients and their 13 companions will be transported to Turkey on Wednesday following a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart and a tour of the facilities housing injured Gazans.

Koca stated that the 39 individuals were the first to be evacuated to Egypt and then another nation since the conflict started. She also mentioned that Ankara’s goal was to evacuate as many of the about 1,000 cancer patients from Gaza to Turkey as possible. The patients were greeted by Koca and the authorities in footage subsequently released by Turkish state media. The patients had arrived at Al-Arish airport on stretchers and were scheduled to board a jet to Turkey.