Global community 'eagerly' waits for Israeli officials to be brought to justice: Türkiye

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) – The global community “eagerly” waits for the Israeli officials "to be brought to justice” for their crimes in Gaza, the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s spokesman said on Friday.

"For the first time in history, the entire world public is eagerly awaiting the day when the Israeli officials who committed these crimes will be brought to justice," Oncu Keceli said in a statement.

The statement noted that Israeli officials attempted to conceal their crimes against Palestinians and shield themselves from accountability, adding: “They have targeted President Erdogan for speaking the entire truth.”

Yet, the crimes Israel committed in Gaza are now exposed, and Israel is “on trial for genocide”, the statement further said.

“Türkiye will continue to speak the truth, and bring the indescribable persecution of the Palestinian people to the global agenda,” it concluded

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed.

Nearly 32,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and more than 74,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most 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 ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.