President Erdogan offers Türkiye's guarantorship for post-clash Gaza

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared Türkiye's willingness to take on the role of a guarantor in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, speaking to reporters aboard the presidential plane on his way back from Kazakhstan, where he attended a summit meeting of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS).

Erdogan underlined Türkiye's potential as a guarantor nation in Gaza, emphasising the security, political, historical, and cultural dimensions involved.

President Erdogan envisions Gaza as an integral part of a sovereign Palestinian state, characterised by territorial integrity, with its capital in East Jerusalem, according to the 1967 borders.

He emphasised support for formulas that promote peace and tranquility while rejecting plans that exacerbate the suffering of Palestinians and contribute to the ongoing crisis.

World, EU left civilians for dead

The global community and the EU have turned a blind eye to Israel's attacks to destroy Gaza's health infrastructure, leaving infants and civilians for dead, Erdogan said.

Accusing the EU of having displayed a “very strange and inconsistent role,” Erdogan said that the EU “did not and could not put forward a fair approach.”

“Pay attention to who is currently on Israel's side, and who is also left out of the diplomatic processes in the Russia-Ukraine war? The European Union,” the Turkish leader told reporters.

“Our trust in EU has been shattered,” he added.

Türkiye crossed out Netanyahu

Türkiye has “crossed out” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and will do everything to bring Israel’s violation of human rights and war crimes to the International Criminal Court (ICC), Erdogan said.

The embattled premier “is no longer someone we can talk to, we have crossed him out,” Erdogan told reporters.

He said that Netanyahu has lost the support of Israeli citizens and he wants to garner support for massacres through religious rhetoric.

“I said something in my speech at the Palestine Rally. I announced that we would support initiatives that would bring Israel’s human rights violations and war crimes to the International Criminal Court. Our relevant authorities, especially our Foreign Ministry, will carry out this work,” the Turkish leader added.

Upcoming OIC summit in Riyadh will be crucial for Gaza cease-fire efforts, Erdogan said.

“I attach great importance to the OIC summit. In Riyadh, we will both push for a cease-fire and carry out preliminary work in terms of procedures and principles,” he said.

The Israeli army has widened its air and ground attacks on Gaza, which has been under relentless air strikes since the surprise offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7.

At least 9,227 Palestinians, mostly children and women, have been killed in Israeli attacks since then, while the Israeli death toll has topped 1,500, according to official figures.

Basic supplies are running low for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents due to the Israeli siege, in addition to the large number of casualties and displacements.