ADDS REMARKS FROM TURKISH PRESIDENT
By Muhammed Enes Calli
ISTANBUL (AA) - Israel's attacks on Gaza have long since crossed the threshold of self-defense to turn into open oppression, brutality, massacres, and barbarism, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.
"Nobody should expect us to stay silent while atrocities are happening before our eyes," Erdogan said at a meeting of the Family Council in the capital, Ankara.
Criticizing the EU for failing to push for a cease-fire in Gaza, Erdogan said: "How many more children must die for the EU Commission to call for a cease-fire?"
"How many more bombs must fall on Gaza for the UN Security Council to take action?" he added, continuing his criticisms of the body’s ineffectuality.
The European Commission’s lead spokesperson on foreign affairs, Peter Stano, on Wednesday said the bloc has not called for a cease-fire due to the ongoing "attacks" from the Palestinian group Hamas.
Stano reiterated the EU's position and its support for Israel.
"Those who readily pass judgment on human rights and freedoms when the opportunity arises have been ignoring the right to life of the oppressed in Gaza for 19 years," Erdogan added.
Erdogan said mosques, churches, schools, marketplaces, and even hospitals are being bombed by Israel.
Almost half of the houses in Gaza have either been damaged, destroyed or rendered unusable, said Erdogan, adding that 600,000 people have been displaced, according to the UN.
"What happened to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?” he asked, They look into it, if it serves their interests, “and they don't look if it doesn't."
This is called hypocrisy and adding fuel to the fire, he said.
"From media outlets that flagrantly violate all principles to whitewash war crimes, to international organizations that consistently turn a blind eye to massacres, everyone is complicit in the brutality that has unfolded in Gaza and Palestinian territories," he said.
Erdogan said that his government is ready to provide all kinds of humanitarian assistance, including setting up field hospitals and bringing the wounded to Türkiye for treatment.
"For us, whether they are children from Gaza, Palestine, or Syria, I openly say there is no difference between them and the children in Israel," he said.
He said that since the conflict began, nearly three weeks ago, accompanied by a draconian cutoff of utilities for the Gaza Strip, Türkiye has sent more than 200 tons of aid to get to Gaza through Egypt.
"Our civil aid ship, for which we are making preparations, will be sent to the region when the conditions are right," he added.
In recent days, Israel has let a trickle of aid enter the enclave, but far less than its 2.3 million residents need.
The conflict in Gaza began when the Palestinian group Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood – a multi-pronged surprise attack on Oct. 7 that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air.
Hamas said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
The Israeli military then launched a relentless bombardment of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
Nearly 8,000 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 6,546 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.