Erdoğan seeks Gaza ceasefire to halt ‘crimes against humanity’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, saying “crimes against humanity” are being committed in Gaza, Agence France-Presse reported.

Erdoğan has strongly supported the Palestinians in the face of Israel’s war with Hamas, attending pro-Palestinian rallies and positioning himself as a mediator since the war began on Oct. 7.

“There is no concept that could explain or excuse the brutality that we have witnessed since October 7,” Erdoğan said during a summit of Turkic States in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

“To put it bluntly: Crimes against humanity have been committed in Gaza for exactly 28 days,” he said.

“Our priority is to establish a humanitarian ceasefire quickly,” he said, adding that Turkey was working on “new mechanisms that will guarantee everyone’s security, regardless of whether they are Muslims, Christians or Jews.

“Our efforts to lay the groundwork for an international peace conference continue,” he said, without elaborating.

Israel has relentlessly bombarded Gaza since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants broke out of the territory into Israel, killing 1,400 people and kidnapping more than 240, Israeli officials say.

The health ministry in the Gaza Strip has said 9,061 people have been killed during subsequent strikes in the Palestinian territory, including 3,760 children.

Israel has said it is not targeting civilians and that it is trying to rout out and destroy the Hamas militant group responsible for the Oct. 7 attack.