Amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday lambasted Israel for its "aggression" against Hamas in Gaza and called, "Tel Aviv is 'acting like a terrorist organisation' and 'committing crimes against humanity'". According to Erdogan, Hamas 'is not a terror group', and called it a 'patriotic organisation that defends its territory and people'
While addressing the Parliament, he unequivocally cancelled his scheduled state visit to Israel and said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has 'abused Turkey's goodwill'. "Hamas is not a terrorist organization, it is a group of mujahideen defending their lands. I'm cancelling plans to visit Israel because of its inhumane war," he said in the parliament. "We had a project to go to Israel, but it was cancelled, we will not go," he added.
Hamas is fighting for their land: Erdogan
Erdogan reiterated that Hamas has been working as “liberators” fighting for their own land.
The statement from the Turkish President came as Hamas-backed Palestinian authorities have released the number of casualties in the latest airstrikes by Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). According to the latest update, the deal toll has now crossed the 5,700 mark in Gaza.
Hezbollah group held talks with senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad
Earlier today, the leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group held talks on Wednesday with senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad figures in a key meeting of three top anti-Israel militant groups amid the war raging in Gaza.
A brief statement following the meeting said that Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah agreed with Hamas’ Saleh al-Arouri and Islamic Jihad’s leader Ziad al-Nakhleh on the next steps that the three — along with other Iran-backed militants — should take at this “sensitive stage.”
Their goal, according to the statement that was carried on Hezbollah-run and Lebanese state media, was to achieve “a real victory for the resistance in Gaza and Palestine” and halt Israel’s “treacherous and brutal aggression against our oppressed and steadfast people in Gaza and the West Bank”.
