Abbas meets with his Turkish counterpart, urges international protection for Palestinians

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a visit to Türkiye on Tuesday and emphasized the need for more efforts towards providing international protection for Palestine.

Speaking alongside Erdogan at a news conference in the capital Ankara, Abbas said Türkiye has been fulfilling its "historical" responsibilities towards the Palestinian people based on brotherhood "in the best possible manner."

On Monday, Erdogan said Türkiye has been working to support Palestine, including with diplomatic initiatives and humanitarian aid.

Ankara has been unwavering in its support for Palestine and said it will continue to make efforts to support Palestinians with humanitarian aid.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, killing more than 30,600 and injuring over 72,000 others amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.