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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said that Israel's attacks must be stopped immediately if peace is truly desired in Gaza, calling the Israeli assault the biggest obstacle to achieving a ceasefire.
"If peace is truly desired, Israel's attacks must be stopped immediately," Erdogan said on Wednesday at his ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) parliamentary group meeting.
"The Israeli government needs to understand that there is nowhere to reach with blood, massacre, banditry, and cruelty," he noted.
Erdogan said Israel's attacks are currently the biggest obstacle on the road to peace, noting Israel continues attacks that undermine the positive atmosphere despite U.S. President Donald Trump's open calls.
Erdogan said Hamas has given an extremely positive response to Trump's peace plan, demonstrating a clear will for peace.
"The Palestinian resistance organization Hamas has given an extremely positive response to Mr. Trump's peace plan, thus putting forward its will for peace very clearly," Erdogan said.
He said Türkiye is actively supporting Trump's peace efforts to quickly extricate the region from the vise it is caught in.
"By actively supporting the U.S. President (Mr.) Trump's peace efforts, we want to quickly get our region out of this vise," Erdogan said.
Erdogan said placing the entire burden of peace on Hamas and Palestinians is neither fair nor realistic.
"Peace is not a bird with one wing," Erdogan said. "It is neither fair nor correct nor a realistic approach to place the entire burden of peace on Hamas and the Palestinians."
He said Türkiye's foreign minister and intelligence chief are in contact with counterparts on one side, while he maintains contact on the other.
President Erdogan later emphasized the importance of the negotiations underway in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
"A ceasefire and fair peace is the most reasonable choice for all parties," Erdogan said, noting, "The talks being held in Sharm el-Sheikh today are of critical importance. We hope to receive good news."
The Turkish president stated that 67,000 Gazans, most of them children and women, have been killed and close to 170,000 wounded in what he called a massacre that has lasted two years.
He added that Israel has surpassed Hitler in genocide crimes over the past two years.
"They turned Gaza into a huge pile of rubble, but no matter what they did, they could not break the will of resistance of the people of Gaza," Erdogan said, adding, "Even though they turned Gaza into the world's largest children's cemetery, they could not take over the people of Gaza."
Türkiye is doing whatever is necessary without hesitation to end the mass killing, from humanitarian aid to diplomatic contacts, from stopping trade to recognizing the State of Palestine, he said.
Erdogan said a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders, will definitely be established, stating, "Just as our Syrian brothers attained their freedom after 14 years of oppression, our Palestinian brothers will also succeed."
"A Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital will definitely be established," he concluded.
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