The Turkish Parliament adopted a motion on Wednesday condemning Israeli strikes on Rafah as the number of casualties in the Gaza Strip increases by the day, the pro-government media reported.
This comes in the wake of harsh criticism from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of the latest Israeli attack on Gaza over the weekend, which killed 45 people, mostly women and children sheltering in tents in Rafah in the south Gaza Strip
The motion calls on the United Nations Security Council to hold an emergency meeting concerning Israel’s attacks in the Palestinian enclave.
“Israel under the Netanyahu government does not hesitate to violate all rulings of international courts and is known for its occupation and cruelty. It continues to attack civilian settlements,” the motion reads.
It says that “Zionist violence” continues before the eyes of the world and that Israel’s policy of oppression of Gaza’s residents, who are condemned to isolation, has made Palestine a place unfit to live. The motion refers to Israel’s massacre of more than 40 Palestinians in a tent camp for displaced people and says that Israel’s actions have become genocidal, surpassing any practice of apartheid.
“It is the duty of every individual, of every country that respects human rights, not to remain silent about these massacres, these crimes against humanity,” it says.
The Gaza Strip is suffering a humanitarian crisis caused by Israel’s military campaign against Hamas that has been going on since October 7, with the United Nations and aid agencies warning of impending famine.
The war started with Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel that resulted in the death of roughly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and some 250 people taken hostage.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 36,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry, and has devastated the Gaza Strip.
Turkey is one of the most outspoken critics of Israel’s war on Gaza, accusing the Israeli government of committing “war crimes” and “genocide” in the enclave. In early May Turkey’s Trade Ministry announced that it was suspending all trade with Israel until it allows aid to enter Gaza unhindered during its offensive against Hamas militants.