Turkish President Erdogan due to receive Palestine's Abbas

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday will meet with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in the capital Ankara.

Erdogan will welcome Abbas at the presidential complex to exchange views on bilateral relations and regional issues.

After holding one-on-one talks and inter-delegation meeting, the leaders are expected to hold a joint news conference.

On Monday, Erdogan said Türkiye is trying to support Palestinian people through diplomatic initiatives, humanitarian aid, and sincere cries for help.

"I would like to state this very clearly: Türkiye is doing its best for Gaza and Palestine, and it will continue to do so," the president added after the Cabinet meeting.

He said Türkiye has sent more than 37,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Ankara has been unwavering in its support for Palestine and said it will continue to make efforts to provide all kinds of support to the Palestinian people fully within the scope of humanitarian aid efforts.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed 30,534 people and injured 71,920 others with mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.