Turkey 'crossed out' Netanyahu, will bring Israel’s war crimes to ICC: Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reiterated his country’s support for the people in the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s ongoing aggression, saying it will do everything to bring Israeli war crimes in the besieged enclave to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Erdogan made the remarks aboard the presidential plane as he was returning from Kazakhstan on Saturday, where he attended a summit in the Kazakh capital Astana.
He went on to say that Turkey will cut off contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to the occupying regime’s crimes in Gaza.
Netanyahu “is no longer someone we can talk to, we have crossed him out,” Erdogan said, adding that the embattled premier has lost the support of Israeli citizens.
“What he needs to do is take a step back and stop this,” Erdogan said.
He further noted that Turkey supports initiatives that would bring Israel’s human rights violations and war crimes to the ICC, adding that the country’s relevant authorities, particularly its Foreign Ministry, will carry out this work.
The Turkish president also stated that Netanyahu bore the primary responsibility for the violence, stressing that Ankara “is ready to act as a guarantor country for Gaza.”
Erdogan’s remarks came a day after he called for an immediate halt to Israel’s "crimes against humanity” in Gaza.
On Saturday, Turkey recalled its ambassador to Tel Aviv for consultations due to ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza, the foreign ministry said.
The ministry said Sakir Ozkan Torunlar was recalled “in view of the unfolding humanitarian tragedy in Gaza caused by the continuing attacks by Israel against civilians, and Israel's refusal of calls for ceasefire and continuous and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid.”
All Israeli diplomats in Turkey left the country last month due to security concerns amid nationwide protests in support of the Palestinian people.
Israel has been heavily bombing Gaza since October 7 when the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas launched a surprise operation in the occupied territories in response to the Israeli regime’s intensified crimes against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The aggression has so far killed 9,488 Palestinians and left more than 23,500 wounded.
Tel Aviv has also blocked water, food, and electricity to Gaza, plunging the coastal strip into a humanitarian crisis.
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