Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Hamas is not a terrorist group but rather a liberation movement that defends its homeland.
Speaking at his party’s parliamentary group, Erdogan urged both sides to agree on an immediate ceasefire and denounced Israeli atrocities in the Gaza Strip, the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah reported.
Noting that half of the people killed by Israeli airstrikes are women and children, Erdogan said that “This is sufficient to show that Israel is not acting in self-defense but commits savagery on a level with crimes against humanity.”
A few months ago, Ward al-’Tul turned two years old. Her mother Rawand documented the little girl’s joy on her birthday. Ward was killed today, October 24, along with her mother, her father, and her entire family. pic.twitter.com/RmHjRSl7Rx
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 24, 2023
Daily Sabah quoted Erdogan as saying:
“You cannot find another state or another army in the world bombing cities, hospitals, places of worship, schools, and marketplaces night and day by warplanes just to kill children.
“The West sees Hamas as a terrorist group. I tell Israel here: The West owes you many things, but we are not indebted to Israel.
“Hamas is not a terrorist organization. It is a liberation group, a group of mujahideen fighting to defend its lands and people.”
Erdogan also said that he decided to cancel his plan to visit Israel and strengthen ties between the two countries.
Israeli airstrikes on the besieged and impoverished Gaza Strip continue for the 19th day in a row. This is #Gaza today.https://t.co/NhIQhkVgg6 pic.twitter.com/5FAsa4wFbu
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 25, 2023
“I shook his hands once only. I had good intentions. If they continued with good intentions, we would have better relations, but unfortunately, they abused our goodwill,” he said, according to Daily Sabah.
“We propose organizing an international Palestine-Israel peace conference in which all influential actors in the region take part,” Erdogan said, calling on all Muslim countries to act together to ensure a long-lasting peace in the region.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
