Turkey prepares to declare Israel state “criminal war”

Turkey's President, Recep Tayip Erdogan, said ahead of a pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul that his state is preparing to declare Israel “criminal war” due to its actions in Gaza.

During his address to hundreds of thousands of people who joined the rally, Erdogan also held Western states responsible for the Gaza killings and for failing to stop Israeli attacks.

“Israel, we will declare war criminals before the world”, Erdogan said. We are making preparations and we will proclaim Israel before the world as war criminal”.

Erdogan, whose government has recently restored diplomatic reports with Israel, has criticised this state.

Earlier this week, Erdogan said the militant group Hamas is not a terrorist organisation, but a relief group fighting for its land and people.

Following Erdogan's statements, Israel said it is withdrawing diplomatic staff from Turkey.

“In view of statements coming from Turkey, I have ordered the return of diplomatic representatives in order to make a review of reports between Israel and Turkey”, said Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, through an X post known earlier as Twitter.

Since Friday evening, Israel has launched ground operation in Gaza. On October 28th, the Israeli Army said it is expanding operation and infantry and tanks are being supported by “massive attacks<x1 air and sea>.

Israel has also called on Palestinians at the Gaza Strip to leave the north of the south.

The Israeli Army said they are bombarding the network of underground Hamas tunnels and bunkers, located in Gaza in the northern part of the territory.

Hamas carried out co-ordinated attacks on the south of Israel on October 7th, killing over 1,400 people and taking hostages of over 200 people.

Meanwhile, as a result of revenge attacks on the Gaza Strip since the start of the war, over 7,700 people have been killed. Meanwhile, in the occupied West Coast, over 110 Palestinians have been killed during the violence and during Israeli raids. / REL/