UPDATE - Upcoming OIC summit crucial for Gaza cease-fire: Turkish President Erdogan

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS FROM TURKISH PRESIDENT

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) – The upcoming summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Riyadh will be crucial for Gaza cease-fire efforts, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Speaking to reporters aboard the presidential plane on Friday on his way back from Kazakhstan, where he attended a summit meeting of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), Erdogan said that a cease-fire will prove to be a lifeline for war-stricken Gazans.

“I attach great importance to the OIC summit. In Riyadh, we will both push for a cease-fire and carry out preliminary work in terms of procedures and principles,” he said.

The Turkish leader also blasted Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

He “is no longer someone we can talk to, we have crossed him out,” Erdogan said. “I’ll decide on this issue after discussions at the upcoming OIC summit.”

Erdogan also said that he will meet his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the summit and will discuss the issue with him.

"Of course, the stance of the OIC member states is very important here," he said.

The president also added that diplomacy will prove indispensable in achieving a cease-fire in the coming days.

"We constantly meet with our counterparts and tell them the truth," Erdogan said.

"Our fight is for Palestinian children to be able to live in peace like other children in the world," he said.

The Israeli army has widened its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since the surprise offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 9,488 Palestinians, including 3,900 children have been killed in Israeli attacks since then, while the Israeli death toll has topped 1,500, according to official figures.