Newsletters
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened his address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday with pointed criticism of Israel's military operations in Gaza, declaring that "genocide has been continuing for over 700 days" and calling on nations to recognize Palestinian statehood.
Speaking at the 80th session of the General Assembly, Erdogan expressed regret over Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's absence from the gathering, stating, "We will be the spokesperson for the Palestinian people."
The Turkish President presented stark statistics about the conflict, claiming that civilian deaths in Gaza have exceeded 65,000, with the number of bodies under rubble unknown. "For the past 23 months, one child has been ruthlessly killed every hour by Israel in Gaza," Erdogan told the assembly.
In a dramatic moment during his speech, Erdogan displayed a photograph depicting daily life in Gaza, showing women carrying water basins. "Let us all put our hands on our consciences and answer. Can there be a reasonable cause for such cruelty in 2025? This shameful scene has been repeating every day in Gaza for 23 months in the name of humanity," he said.
Erdogan emphasized the unprecedented nature of the violence, stating that "humanity has not witnessed such brutality in the last century" and described the situation as "the lowest point of humanity." He noted that even UN personnel have not been spared, with 326 UN workers among the 500 aid workers killed while trying to help people in Gaza.
"Genocide, just like the Holocaust, is a barbaric concept used for the mass destruction of people. But today in Gaza, not only humans are being killed, animals are being targeted and killed," Erdogan said, drawing comparisons to historical atrocities.
The Turkish president thanked countries that have announced their intention to recognize Palestine as a state and urged others to take action. "I thank the countries that announced they will recognize Palestine as a state. I call on countries that have not made this decision to take action," he said.
Erdogan characterized the situation as asymmetrical, stating, "There is no war in Gaza. We cannot speak of two sides in Gaza. On one side there is a regular army with the most modern lethal weapons, on the other side there are innocent civilians, innocent children."
He concluded with a call for immediate international intervention, declaring that "anyone who does not take a stand against the barbarism in Gaza is complicit in this brutality. Today is the day to stand upright alongside innocent Palestinians in the name of humanity."
This is a developing story, details will follow
1 min read
3 min read
