Humanity must prevent further violations of international law in Gaza: President Erdogan

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) – In a letter to Pope Francis on Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "Humanity must prevent further violations of international law in Gaza."

Erdogan also stated that humanity should speak out against the bombing of hospitals, schools, mosques, and churches, emphasizing that these should never be targeted, even in times of war.

"Without a fair resolution of the Palestine-Israel issue, establishing lasting peace and stability in the Middle East is not possible," he added.

Since Israel has waged a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Hamas group on Oct. 7, at least 33,686 Palestinians have been killed.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory'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.