UPDATE - Turkish foreign minister reiterates call for immediate cease-fire in Gaza

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By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reiterated his call Wednesday for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

"We are as a group working very hard to make sure that the international community lives up to its responsibilities, both legal and moral. I think this is very important because, in the absence of a moral compass, we will lose our way as humanity," Fidan said at the joint stakeout by the ministerial committee assigned by the joint Arab-Islamic extraordinary summit.

The committee is in New York to attend a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East.

"Therefore, as the international community, we need to do our best to address this issue at every level, at the humanitarian level, at the political level, and we need an immediate cease-fire. We need immediate humanitarian assistance," said Fidan.

The root cause of the problem needs to be addressed immediately, he said, reiterating Türkiye's support for a two-state solution to the Palestine-Israel conflict, which includes the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Ahead of the meeting, Fidan, along with his counterparts on the committee, separately met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and monthly president of the Security Council.

During the meeting with Guterres, they discussed achieving a full cease-fire in Gaza and options for establishing lasting peace in the region.

- 'Türkiye cannot leave Palestinian people alone'

Regarding the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Fidan said Türkiye stands with their Palestinian brothers.

"We will continue to support the Palestinian people in their rightful struggle against occupation and oppression. We are working hard to stop the war targeting Gazan civilians," he wrote on X.

The committee visited Paris, London, Barcelona and Brussels to raise the Gaza issue, he said.

"Today, we attended the UN Security Council session and the meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People in New York.

"We emphasized that a full cease-fire should be declared as soon as possible, humanitarian aid should be delivered to Gaza, and the solution process should be started immediately for lasting peace. We cannot leave the Palestinian people alone," said Fidan.

He urged the international community to fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities.

As the Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip entered day 53, Türkiye 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 launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

It has since killed over 15,000 people, including 6,150 children and 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.