Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel on Monday of breaching the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, claiming Hamas is “quite determined to adhere to the agreement while Israel’s record is very poor.”
His remarks, quoted by JNS, were delivered at an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) economic conference in Istanbul.
Erdogan called on Muslim nations to take a “leading role” in Gaza’s recovery and urged immediate implementation of the reconstruction plan proposed by the Arab League and the OIC at their March 4 summit in Cairo. The plan is positioned as an alternative to US President Donald Trump’s “Middle East Riviera” vision.
The Turkish President also declared that Ankara “cannot allow Israel to annex Judea and Samaria, alter the status of Jerusalem or attempt to harm the sanctity of the Al-Aqsa mosque.”
Despite Erdoğan’s claims, it is Hamas that has repeatedly violated the ceasefire, killing three Israeli soldiers and delaying the return of the bodies of slain hostages, which were to be recovered within 72 hours under the terms of the truce.
Last Thursday, the bodies of hostages Sahar Baruch and Amiram Cooper were returned to Israel by Hamas. A day later, the terrorist organization handed over three bodies which were determined to not belong to any of the remaining 11 hostages.
On Sunday, the group returned the bodies of three hostages – Omer Neutra, Asaf Hamami and Oz Daniel – but is still holding the bodies of eight hostages.
Hamas has demanded to be provided with heavy engineering equipment, which the group claims is necessary to retrieve the remaining bodies.
Israel-Turkey relations have deteriorated sharply over the past decade, fueled by Erdogan’s increasingly hostile rhetoric against Israel.
In March, Erdogan blasted Israel and described it as a “terror state” after it launched surprise strikes on terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip.
In June, the Turkish President claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government represents the most significant threat to Middle East security.