Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan commented that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared unsettled by the reactions from several states to Israel’s actions in Gaza, according to reports from TASS. Erdoğan suggested that the Palestinian operation would mark the end of Netanyahu’s political career.
Erdoğan stated that Netanyahu faced strong concern from the French president Emmanuel Macron and that the Riyadh summit had him on edge. He told Netanyahu that today might feel favorable, yet a different fate awaits him ahead. He implied that families in Gaza are suffering deeply and warned that the harsh words directed at Netanyahu would accompany his downfall. The Turkish leader described Netanyahu as facing a grim trajectory in the near future, adding that the world would see the end of his leadership.
Erdoğan noted that the broader Islamic world had united in opposition to Israel’s actions amid the renewed clashes in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
On October 7, Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel and announced the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Militants moved into Israeli territory, seizing military equipment and taking more than a hundred hostages. In response, Prime Minister Netanyahu declared that Israel was at war.
The Israeli Defense Forces launched an operation named Iron Swords, with a key objective to curb Hamas. The Israeli Air Force conducted widespread strikes on targets across the Gaza Strip, while Israel’s National Security Council decided to cut water, food, goods, electricity, and fuel supplies to the region. On October 13, Israel informed the United Nations that 1.1 million Palestinians would be evacuated to southern Gaza ahead of a ground offensive.
Earlier reports indicated a request from South Africa for Netanyahu’s arrest in connection with the Gaza operation.