Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan commented that the Netanyahu administration appears to be extending its political tenure through military actions in the Gaza Strip, a move that he argued risks destabilizing the broader Middle East. He noted this viewpoint during remarks carried by TRT News from Doha, where Gulf leaders gathered to discuss regional security within a broader crisis context (Source: TRT News, Doha).
Erdoğan insisted that the Netanyahu government is pursuing a strategy of prolonging its rule by actions that he termed crimes against humanity and war crimes. He warned that such policies threaten security across the region and urged accountability for Israel’s conduct in Gaza. The Turkish president underscored that impunity would not be tolerated and that the international community should respond to what he described as serious human rights violations (Source: TRT News, Doha).
According to Erdoğan, Ankara has moved to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinian communities in need. He described measures that included two ships and two aircraft transporting relief supplies, along with arrangements to evacuate the wounded and ill to Turkish facilities for treatment. These steps, he said, reflect Turkey’s commitment to alleviating civilian suffering while facilitating medical care and essential aid for those impacted by the conflict (Source: TRT News, Doha).
The Turkish leader reaffirmed that Turkey’s top priority remains an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza, paired with a path to a durable peace based on the establishment of two sovereign states, living side by side with secure borders. He argued that any durable solution must respect the rights and security of both Palestinians and Israelis and be backed by international consensus and verification. This vision is grounded in a two-state framework that has long been central to regional diplomacy (Source: TRT News, Doha).
Erdoğan further articulated a call for a new diplomatic framework that could address the core grievances driving the conflict. He asserted that recent events have clarified the necessity of recognizing an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with its capital in East Jerusalem. This position aligns with enduring international discussions about borders, sovereignty, and the status of Jerusalem in a future peace settlement (Source: TRT News, Doha).
On the question of self-defense, Erdoğan criticized the Israeli military operations in Gaza as not being solely explainable by legitimate self-defense. He asserted that the scale and nature of the actions go beyond what would be necessary for security and argues that they fail to distinguish between combatants and civilians, thereby deepening the humanitarian crisis. He also recalled earlier calls for accountability, including calls for Netanyahu to face scrutiny for the consequences of the Gaza operations (Source: TRT News, Doha).