Türkiye urges decisive international action to address ongoing Gaza crisis

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - Türkiye's Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Yildiz on Thursday condemned Israel's actions in Gaza and called for decisive international action to address the ongoing crisis.

Highlighting the repeated gatherings of the UN Security Council (UNSC) since Oct. 7 last year, Yildiz reminded a Security Council session of the strong statements and condemnations that were made against Israel's atrocities.

"Nevertheless, the UN Charter, the bedrock of international law, is still routinely breached; the UN Security Council resolutions are still contemptuously ignored by Israel," he said.

Drawing attention to the alarming death toll in Gaza, Yildiz emphasized that the killing rates in the region are among the highest in the world, comparable to those seen during the Rwandan genocide. He highlighted Israel's trial before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for violations of the International Convention on Genocide.

"Israeli actions aimed at changing the character and status of the Occupied Palestinian Territories are also violations of international law," he said, adding that Türkiye has submitted statements to the ICJ regarding this matter.

Asserting the universality of international law, Yildiz said that no country is immune from its obligations. He questioned the lack of action by the UNSC in response to Israel's "brazen violations of international law and Security Council resolutions."

He continued his remarks by painting a grim picture of the situation in Gaza, where civilians, including women and children, are dying from hunger due to Israel's restrictions on humanitarian aid.

"It is our solemn duty to remind the Security Council, yet again, that the maintenance of international peace and security and taking effective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace are the number one task of the Council," he stressed.

Emphasizing that "the Security Council is supposed to be the voice of the international community," Yildiz underscored the expectation of the international community for the Security Council to take action.

"Otherwise, coming together in this room regularly and making the same points over and over again and leaving the room empty-handed would not solve any problem," he said.

- ‘2-state vision’

He urged for new and decisive steps, including the full recognition of the State of Palestine, as the basis for a permanent solution.

"We all agree that a two-state vision is the sole basis for a permanent solution. One of the states, Israel has been enjoying its statehood for decades whereas the other state, Palestine has been denied its inherent right. It is the time to fix this unjust, lopsided approach," he added.

Reaffirming Türkiye's commitment to ending the conflict and bringing permanent peace and stability to the region, the deputy foreign minister expressed optimism about the reception of the idea of "a guarantee mechanism."

"We will continue to join hands with those sharing the same objectives for a better and safer world," he added.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in which nearly 1,200 people were killed.

Nearly 34,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 76,800 others injured amid 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.