Erdoğan: Gaza Belongs to Palestinians just like West Bank, East Jerusalem

"Just like East Jerusalem and the West Bank, Gaza belongs to the Palestinians. God willing, our brothers and sisters in Gaza will continue to live forever on the land where they were born," Erdoğan said in remarks after a cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara.

“The Palestinian people have repeatedly shown that they will not surrender, will not abandon their homeland, and will never bow to oppression – despite all the hardships and all the acts of barbarism,” Erdoğan said.

“For the past 18 months, Gaza has witnessed not only some of the most brutal massacres of the past century, but also an epic resistance that stands as a source of pride for all humanity,” he added.

Slamming Israel's atrocities in Gaza, Erdoğan underlined that nothing can be achieved in Gaza through Israel’s current course of bloodshed and cutting off food and medical aid.

"Now it must be recognized that no place can be reached in Gaza by shedding more blood, killing more children, and leaving people hungry, thirsty, and without medicine," he said.

"As Turkey, we emphasize at every opportunity that we do not want new conflicts in our region and beyond," Erdoğan stressed. “Everything we say is for the peace, safety, and coexistence of all the peoples in our region. God willing, we will continue to work for peace and stability in the future as well."

Erdoğan also expressed condolences for Iranians who died in explosion at port near city of Bandar Abbas, which killed at least 70 people.

Turkey wants de-escalation of tensions between Pakistan and India "as soon as possible, before it evolves into a more serious situation," the president added.

Source: HDN