Erdogan rebukes Israeli threat to carry out assassinations in Türkiye

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned Tel Aviv of heavy price amid reports of Israeli plot to assassinate Hamas members living outside Palestine.

“If they dare to take such a step against Türkiye and Turkish people, they will be doomed to pay a price which they cannot recover from,” Erdogan told journalists Tuesday on his return flight from a two-day Qatar trip when he was asked about a Wall Street Journal article which claimed that Israel plans to kill Hamas members living outside Palestine.

“Those who attempt such a thing should not forget that the consequences can be extremely serious. No one is unaware of Türkiye's progress in both intelligence and security fields worldwide. Additionally, we are not a newly established state,” he stressed.

Erdogan's warning came after Ronen Bar, the head of Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security service, said that Israel has initiated plans to carry out assassinations targeting Hamas members residing outside of Palestinian territories.

“In every place, in Gaza, in the West Bank, in Lebanon, in Türkiye, in Qatar, everywhere,” Bar said in an audio recording. “It’ll take a few years, but we will be there to do it.”

Gaza belongs to Palestinians

Gaza belongs to Palestinians and who will govern it will be decided by the Palestinian people, Erdogan said, condemning Israel's plan to create a 40-km long and 12-km wide buffer zone in Gaza.

"The best thing Israel can do is to accept the establishment of an independent Palestinian State within the 1967 borders and return the occupied Palestinian territories to their rightful owners," Erdogan said.

Underlining the issue of rebuilding and reconstruction in Gaza, the President Erdogan said, "we will strengthen our dialogue with Gulf countries to achieve the goal of healing the wounds of our Palestinian brothers and sisters and establishing an independent Palestinian State on the basis of the 1967 borders."

"We say to those with eyes who do not see the oppression, those with ears who do not hear the truth, and those with tongues who do not speak the truth: "See, hear, speak the truth now," he added.

In an effort to strengthen dialogue with Gulf countries, we will enhance our engagement with them to heal the wounds of our Palestinian brothers and sisters and work towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian State based on the 1967 borders.

'Settler terrorism of Israel'

On the increasing violence by the illegal Israeli settlers, President Erdogan said: "Israel needs to remove the terrorists they market as settlers from those houses and lands and think about how they can build a peaceful future with the Palestinians," remarking on Israeli settlers occupying Palestinian lands.

Drawing attention to the widely circulated blames over Hamas, he said, "Hamas is, above all, a resistance organisation. Hamas is a political movement that emerged victorious in the elections held in Palestine."

"Hamas is a political movement that had its territories taken away from them in 1947. Today, Hamas is striving to protect its own land," he added.

He also emphasised how Israel has turned Gaza into an open-air prison for years, subjecting it to restrictions on water, food, clothing, and electricity, trying to discipline it in its own way.

Increasing number of people showing solidarity with Palestine in streets

"The substantial financial, military, and material support provided by these countries has propelled Israel to its current position," he expressed, criticising the unwavering support of Western countries, especially the US to Israel.

Reminding that before the attacks on Gaza, there was a trial against Netanyahu in Israel, "Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is currently in a bankrupt situation and may raise the bankruptcy flag at any moment," he said.

He expressed that "we, on the other hand, have applied to the International Criminal Court with around 3,000 lawyers from various parts of the world for the international trial of Netanyahu and his accomplices."

He further remarks on the increasing number of people showing solidarity with the Palestinians in the streets of London and in front of the White House in New York, in Paris, Belgium, the Netherlands.

He expressed all these people demand the ending of atrocities in besieged Palestinian enclave.