Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that the Palestinian militant group Hamas is not terrorists but a liberation group fighting for the defence and freedom of its land.
In his speech to parliament, Erdogan called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. He also said Israel had taken advantage of Turkey’s good intentions, and his planned trip to Israel would not take place.
Erdogan called on world powers to pressure Israel to stop its attacks. He also said Muslim countries had to work together for lasting peace. Erdogan called for UN reform, saying the Security Council should be more inclusive. He expressed concern over the UN’s “failure” to agree on a resolution on Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip and to call for a humanitarian ceasefire.
However, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini criticised Erdogan for saying Hamas was a liberation movement and not a terrorist group, calling them “grave and disgusting”.
Turkey condemned the loss of civilian lives in a Hamas attack on southern Israel on 7 October, but called for a restrained response from Israel.
Since then, Turkey has strongly condemned Israel’s heavy bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Erdogan has offered to mediate the conflict and has sent several shipments of humanitarian aid. Turkey, home to some Hamas members, favours a two-state solution to the decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
More than 700 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, the highest 24-hour death toll since Israeli strikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip began, the Palestinian health ministry said. The dead include 305 children, 173 women and 78 elderly people.
