Israel's 'disproportionate' attacks on Gaza could put it in global disrepute: Turkish president

By Diyar Guldogan

Israel's recent "disproportionate and unfounded" attacks on Gaza may lead it to international disrepute, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Wednesday.

"The disproportionate and unscrupulous attacks on Gaza could bring Israel into an unexpected and undesirable place in the eyes of world public opinion,” Erdogan said at his Justice and Development (AK) Party's group meeting in the capital Ankara.

"Bombing civilian settlements, deliberately killing civilians, blocking vehicles (that are) bringing humanitarian aid to the region, and trying to present all of these as skills can only be a reflex of a (terrorist) organization, not a state,” he said, adding: “Israel should not forget that if it acts like an organization, not as a state, it will eventually come to be seen like one.”

On the recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict that erupted late last week, Erdogan said Türkiye does not find any action against civilians or any attack targeting civilian settlements to be justified.

"A conflict carried out with all kinds of shameful methods is not a war but a massacre," the president stressed.

In a dramatic escalation of Mideast tensions, Israeli forces have launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against the Gaza Strip, a response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.

The conflict began on Saturday when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air, which Hamas said was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.

In response to Hamas' actions, the Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip. Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has reeled under a crippling siege since 2007.