Türkiye ‘rejects, condemns’ attacks targeting civilians in Palestine

By Busra Nur Cakmak

ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye “rejects and condemns” attacks targeting “innocent civilians” and causing their death in Palestine, said the country’s foreign minister on Saturday.

“I would like to emphasize once again that we invite Israel to adhere to international law and human values,” Hakan Fidan said in a joint news conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Cairo.

Israel, he said, “should have peace not only with Arab countries but mainly with Palestinians.”

Fidan reiterated Türkiye’s two-state solution for the conflict, saying that the Palestinian issue could be resolved with the establishment of a Palestinian state.

He said that Türkiye will continue to send humanitarian aid to Gaza as the ongoing conflict with Israel rages.

About the evacuations, Fidan said there are almost 300 Turkish citizens with dual nationality in Gaza and 30 of them have so far been evacuated.

For his part, Shoukry said that Egypt and Türkiye share a common vision on the importance of efforts to overcome serious humanitarian impacts of the conflict on Palestinians.

“Shift of the conflict between Palestine and Israel towards military operations arose due to failure to achieve legitimate rights of Palestinians,” he said.

Fidan is on a two-day official visit to Egypt at the invitation of Shoukry.

During his visit, Fidan also met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

The visit comes as hostilities between the Palestinian resistance group Hamas and Israel have entered their second week, with the embattled Gaza Strip bordering northeast Egypt facing Israeli airstrikes, a cutoff of basic utilities, and an order for over 1 million residents to evacuate their homes in the north and go to the south.

Türkiye has so far sent three planes with humanitarian relief to an Egyptian airport in the hope of sending them to neighboring Gaza.