The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has asserted that Israel is a “terror state” which is committing war crimes and violating international law in Gaza.
Addressing lawmakers in the Turkish parliament, he also echoed his stance that Hamas was not a terrorist organisation, but a political party.
Erdogan said, “Hamas is a political party, they participated in elections in Gaza and won.”
“They are looking for what was stolen away by the United States and Israel,” he added.
In addition, Erdogan called on Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu to announce whether Israel had nuclear bombs or not, adding that the Israeli leader was finished in his post.
Israel has never disclosed in public whether it possesses nuclear weapons, although earlier in the war against Hamas a junior minister in Netanyahu’s government stated that dropping a nuclear weapon on the Gaza Strip was an option.
Erdoğan went on to say that Turkey would work on the international stage to ensure that Israeli settlers are recognised as terrorists.
Turkey has withdrawn diplomats from Israel in the wake of Israel’s response to the 7 October Hamas attack.
Erdogan’s remarks came as the Israeli army raided the al-Shifa Hospital. The hospital, Gaza’s biggest, has become a strategic objective for Israel, which says there is a Hamas command centre underneath.
The Israeli army disclosed that its “operation” at the hospital is under way as troops look for alleged Hamas “infrastructure” and captives.
Israeli Raid At Al-Shifa Condemned
Martin Griffiths, the head of UN humanitarian operations, criticized Israel’s actions within the al-Shifa hospital compound.
In a post to social media, he said, “I’m appalled by reports of military raids in al-Shifa hospital in Gaza.”
“The protection of newborns, patients, medical staff and all civilians must override all other concerns. Hospitals are not battlegrounds,” he added.
In a statement posted on X, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry called the Israeli raid a “violation of international humanitarian law.”
It said that it is “holding Israel responsible for the safety of civilians and medical staff.”
Meanwhile, a professor stated the Israel’s claims are not new.
Andreas Krieg, a professor of security studies at King’s College London, pointed out that Israel’s allegations of al-Shifa Hospital being a Hamas command centre have been “going around for a decade.”
Speaking to a news agency, Krieg noted that Israel has always pushed that narrative and “now it’s the time of truth.”
Krieg added, “They have boots on the ground and now they have to come up with evidence that this is actually true.”
“Evidence presented over the last couple of days from other hospitals has not only been inconclusive but to a great deal has been inconsistent and showed a lot of flaws and misinformation, which also makes it difficult to trust their word.
“From an intelligence point of view, I’d say the Americans are just copying the Israelis instead of actually presenting their own evidence. So there isn’t a lot out there.”
Andreas Krieg
However, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor expressed fears that people will be killed as sporadic gunfire continues to ring out inside the al-Shifa complex.
“The Israeli army is the only party controlling the scene inside the al-Shifa Medical Complex, amid a total media blackout. No third party or international organisation was permitted to be present inside, which raises doubts about any Israeli narrative that would be released later,” the Geneva-based organisation said in a statement.
“Israeli allegations about the use of the al-Shifa Medical Complex for military purposes do not require extended hours of searching and raiding. Therefore, there are concerns that the army might be creating the scene that might be released later.”
Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor
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