President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has urged allies to pressure the United States to halt Israel’s offensive in Gaza. However, he emphasized that any agreement would only be possible if Washington recognizes the enclave as Palestinian territory.
Returning from a summit in Riyadh, where Arab and Muslim leaders strongly condemned Israeli actions in Gaza without endorsing concrete punitive measures, Erdogan plans to visit Germany, Egypt, and host Iran’s president in the coming weeks.
While Erdogan did not rule out a meeting with President Joe Biden, Turkey has become an increasingly vocal critic of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, triggered by a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, resulting in around 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s response has reportedly claimed over 11,000 lives, mostly civilians, according to the latest figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
