Israel’s latest air and ground attacks in Gaza City have drawn condemnation from Türkiye, with the Communications Director Burhanettin Duran describing the assault as “a bloody stage” of genocide carried out under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership.
In a post on X, Duran said Israel’s attacks disregard fundamental principles of international law and add “a new dimension to Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
His comments came as the Israeli military on Monday intensified its push into Gaza’s largest city, combining air strikes with a ground offensive where nearly one million starving Palestinians are trapped.
Duran linked Israel’s assault on Gaza to what he called a moral failure by the international community.
“With thousands of Palestinians killed and hundreds of thousands displaced, the humanitarian tragedy has reached an unbearable point,” he said.
“There is no excuse left for the world. The Security Council and all responsible mechanisms must act immediately to secure a ceasefire and hold Israel accountable before international law,” Duran said, adding that Ankara would back every initiative aimed at accountability.
Netanyahu ‘no authority’ to speak on Jerusalem
Duran also responded to recent remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who directly addressed President Erdogan in a speech on September 15 during a public event in occupied East Jerusalem alongside US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ambassador Mike Huckabee.
Referring to Erdogan by name, Netanyahu said, “This is our city. Erdogan, it’s not yours. Jerusalem is ours forever, and it will never be divided again,” asserting there would never be a Palestinian state.
“The sanctity and spirituality of Jerusalem cannot be overshadowed by occupation policies,” Duran said, adding that Türkiye will continue to back the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Duran said a leader “on trial for war crimes and condemned in the conscience of humanity” had no authority to speak on Quds, referring to the city by its Arabic name.
“Throughout history, Quds has never bowed to Crusader invaders or imperialist powers,” he added.
Under international law, all Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, are considered illegal.
The Israeli army has killed almost 65,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023.
The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.
