Rafah attack exposed Israel's true colors, Turkish President Erdogan says

ISTANBUL

The Turkish president blasted Israel on Monday over its weekend attack against Rafah, which was previously designated as a "safe area."

"Sunday's attack on Rafah, which came after the International Court of Justice's order, has exposed the treacherous and bloody nature of the terror state," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told to lawyers in Istanbul in a televised address, referring to Israel and the ICJ's order to stop the bloodshed.

The president also lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying: "The embattled Netanyahu and his murderous network trying to extend grip on power by massacring people as they fail to defeat Palestinian resistance."

"Netanyahu won't be able to save himself from being lamented like (former Yugoslav strongman Slobodan) Milosevic, (genocide convict Bosnian Serb politician Radovan) Karadzic, and (late German dictator Adolf) Hitler, who he is imitating," the president also said.

Erdogan also emphasized that Türkiye will do "everything in its power to ensure those (Israeli) barbarians are brought to justice for crimes they committed."

At least 35 people were killed and dozens injured as Israel targeted a camp for the displaced people in Rafah on Sunday.

The attack occurred near the logistics base of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Tal al-Sultan, said the Gaza Media Office.

Israeli aircraft targeted several tents in the area, the media office said, adding that missiles and 2,000-pound bombs were used.

Earlier, Gaza’s civil defense force said the targeted area sheltered at least 100,000 displaced people, it said.