By Diyar Guldogan
All sides should exercise restraint and common sense in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict to avoid "irreparable consequences," the Turkish parliament said in a joint declaration on Thursday.
"It is a requirement of law, conscience and humanity to protect civilians under all circumstances and to avoid practices that amount to collective punishment.
"We invite all parties to exercise moderation and common sense within the framework of our vision of peace-security-stability so that this tension does not lead to irreparable consequences," read the declaration, which came after a general debate on the conflict.
It invited Palestine and Israel to start negotiations without further delay to reach a fair and lasting solution on the basis of a two-state solution.
The Turkish parliament also called on the international community, especially the UN Security Council, to take responsibility to bring the parties to a just solution.
Ankara supports a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, including the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The declaration condemned attacks in Gaza that directly target civilians, saying: "Cutting off the food, energy and humanitarian aid provided to Gaza, where two million people live and which has already turned into an open-air prison with a 16-year blockade, and indiscriminate shooting of civilian settlements are a clear and grave violation of international law. Creating a hierarchy among civilians is another manifestation of racism and discrimination."
Speaking at the general debate, parliament speaker Numan Kurtulmus said Türkiye has been trying to make a "great contribution" to resolve the tension between Israel and Palestine so that "civilian casualties and bloodshed of innocent people could be avoided."
Earlier, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Türkiye is ready to undertake any kind of mediator role, including prisoner exchanges.
In a dramatic escalation of Middle East tensions, Israeli forces 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.
Hamas said the operation was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.
The Israeli military then 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.