Israel 'recklessly planning new massacres' — Erdogan

Israel is committing "genocide" in Gaza and making plans to "add new massacres to their list," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

During a meeting on Monday with International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan in New York, Erdogan said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government" did not hesitate to violate international law and human rights."

The closed-door meeting at the Turkish House came on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

Erdogan told Khan that Israel and Netanyahu administration "were recklessly making plans to add new massacres to their list, believing that there was no power to stop them," according to Türkiye's Communications Directorate.

President Erdogan also said that "Israel must be held accountable for the crimes it has committed and that it is extremely important for the genocide case filed against Israel at the International Criminal Court to be concluded and for the perpetrators of genocide to receive the punishment they deserve in order to maintain trust in international law".

Türkiye "will continue to exert all efforts for the detection of the crime of genocide with concrete evidence," said the Communications Directorate.

'The Evidence'

Meanwhile, Erdogan presented The Evidence, a photobook published by Anadolu that exposes Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

Anadolu published the photobook with contributions from its photojournalists and cameramen who have documented Israel's actions in the blockaded enclave.

It includes photographs of Israel's use of white phosphorus shells, which are restricted under international humanitarian law in densely populated civilian areas.

Anadolu also screened a documentary of the same name, showcasing the extent of Israel's war crimes in Gaza.

Türkiye and Erdogan have fiercely advocated holding Netanyahu administration accountable in international courts of law for its nearly year-long relentless offensive in Gaza, killing or injuring over 130,000 Palestinians.

Khan in May requested that the court issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on suspicion of committing crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Since then, Khan has requested twice, most recently in August, for the court to expedite the issuance of the warrants.