Gaza cease-fire can save region from ring of fire, says Turkish President Erdogan

By Muhammed Enes Calli

ISTANBUL (AA) - If Türkiye and Germany jointly achieve a humanitarian cease-fire in the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza, the region can be rescued from the ring of fire, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

Speaking at the joint news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, Erdogan said 13,000 Palestinians – including children, women and elderly people – have been killed so far in the war and almost all of Gaza has been destroyed due to Israel's attacks on the besieged enclave.

"Does Israel currently have nuclear weapons? Yes, but if you ask Israel, they won't admit it because they are very good at using lies," the Turkish leader said.

The Palestinian death toll from an ongoing Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip has surged past 12,000, the Gaza government said on Friday.

The victims include more than 5,000 children and 3,300 women, while 30,000 others have been injured, according to the government’s media office.