ADDS MORE QUOTES FROM TURKISH PRESIDENT
By Diyar Guldogan
The deadly Israeli attack on a hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday has taken "the massacre in Gaza" to another level, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.
"Yesterday, the massacre in Gaza was taken to another dimension with the heinous attack on Al-Ahli Arabi Hospital. I condemn the perpetrators of this attack, which constitutes a crime against humanity and amounts to genocide against the people of Gaza.
"Those who have poured fuel on the fire with the statements they have made since Oct. 7 are as responsible as the perpetrators for yesterday's massacre, which broke our hearts," Erdogan said on X.
At least 471 people were killed and 342 others were injured in an Israeli airstrike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza late Tuesday, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Wednesday.
Türkiye will continue to work to establish first a humanitarian cease-fire and then permanent stability, Erdogan said.
- 'UN Security Council failed to fulfill responsibility'
Erdogan also commended the extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Jeddah as a “concrete demonstration of the determination of the Islamic world in the face of Israel's increasing oppression, its solidarity with the Palestinian people and its support for the Palestinian cause.”
"We have made intense efforts since the first day to resolve the crisis, which started on Oct. 7 and has the risk of spreading to our entire region," Erdogan said, adding he held phone calls with 18 foreign leaders.
"In cooperation with the Egyptian authorities, we delivered three planes full of humanitarian aid materials to the region. We continue to extend our helping hand to the oppressed people of Gaza who have been living under blockade for 17 years.
"However, our efforts to ensure peace were disrupted by steps such as sending aircraft carriers to the region, cutting off aid to the Palestinian people, and wholesale punishment of the people of Gaza. The UN Security Council, which has become completely ineffective, has once again failed to fulfill its responsibility," the president stressed.
Erdogan also slammed Western countries, saying they have taken no steps other than adding fuel to the fire.
"International media outlets have entered a race to whitewash human slaughter with their biased and hypocritical publications.
"Bombing innocent people migrating to areas called 'safe zones', border gates, mosques, schools and civilian settlements are some of the war crimes we have witnessed in the last 12 days," the Turkish president added.
Gaza is already experiencing a dire humanitarian crisis with no electricity, while water, food, fuel and medical supplies are running out.
The conflict began on Oct. 7 when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
At least 3,478 Palestinians have so far been killed, while the figure stands at more than 1,400 people in Israel.
Ankara supports a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, including the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.