ISTANBUL, March 21 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Turkiye has stepped up diplomatic efforts to restore a ceasefire in the war-torn Gaza Strip, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported, citing the Turkish president on Friday.
“We have accelerated our diplomatic contacts to restore the ceasefire, end the persecution, and stop the genocide network,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a Nowruz Day event in Istanbul.
“Türkiye will never allow this criminal squad to turn the region into a sea of blood,” he said, referring to the Israeli government.
Erdogan added that Türkiye has increased humanitarian aid to support Gazans ahead of Eid al-Fitr, a holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
More than 700 Palestinians have been killed and over 900 injured in a surprise aerial campaign by Israel on Gaza since Tuesday, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.
Nearly 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 112,000 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU
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