Turkey is prepared to take whatever action is required in response to Israel’s attacks on Palestinians, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Sunday.
Half of those killed in Gaza were women and children, Çavuşoğlu said at an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), urging Muslim states and the international community to show “unity and determination on Palestine.”
Çavuşoğlu’s remarks come amid an ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza, which has now entered its seventh day of hostilities.
In the last week, more than 180 people have been killed in Gaza, including at least fifty two children. More than one thousand people have been injured. Israeli forces have killed at least thirteen Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Ten people were killed in Israel, including two children.
“The ummah (Muslim community) expects our leadership and courage, and Turkey is ready to take whatever action is necessary,” Çavuşoğlu said.
Cavuşolu also mentioned the international community’s role in protecting Palestinian civilians in accordance with a 2018 U.N. General Assembly resolution, referring to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan has long been a vocal opponent of Israel’s policies toward Palestinians, particularly in Gaza. On Friday, he vowed that Turkey would not remain silent and accept persecution of the Palestinians.
