Israel to pay price for oppression in Gaza, Turkish president tells Palestinian counterpart

By Gozde Bayar and Zehra Nur Duz

Israel will pay the price for its oppression in Gaza, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas.

In a phone call with Abbas, Erdogan said: “Israel will pay the price for oppression. All means must be mobilized for a cease-fire in Gaza, including (the implementation of the) UN Security Council resolution,” according to Türkiye’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun.

Earlier, the Israeli army’ attacked a team of Turkish public broadcaster TRT Arabic in Gaza.

A TRT Arabic team vehicle, which was preparing for broadcast in the Nuseirat camp located in the middle of the Gaza Strip, was attacked by the Israeli army.

Sami Shahada, who worked as an independent cameraman, was seriously injured and underwent surgery. TRT Arabic reporter Sami Berhum escaped unhurt.

Israel has waged a military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas which killed around 1,200 people.

More than 33,600 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the seaside enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

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

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which has urged it to do more to prevent famine in Gaza.