Turkey calls Israel’s evacuation deadline ‘unacceptable’

Turkey’s foreign ministry on Friday condemned as “unacceptable” Israel’s ultimatum to Palestinians to evacuate Gaza ahead of an expected Israeli ground offensive, Agence France-Presse reported.

Hundreds of Gazans fled towards the south of the Gaza Strip on Friday after the Israeli military dropped flyers warning residents to flee “immediately.”

“The announcement by the Israeli government calling on the Palestinian people living in the north of Gaza to move towards the south of Gaza within 24 hours is unacceptable,” the ministry said in a statement.

A ground offensive is expected by Israel in the Palestinian territory controlled by Hamas in retaliation for Saturday’s bloody attack launched by the Palestinian Islamist group.

“Forcing the 2.5 million residents of Gaza, who have been subject to indiscriminate air strikes for days and deprived of electricity, water and food, to migrate in an extremely limited area is a flagrant violation of international law and is inhumane,” the ministry said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday that “cutting water, electricity and food to 2 million people stuck in 360 square kilometers (140 square miles) is against the most fundamental human rights.”