Faruk Zorlu
21 October 2023•Update: 21 October 2023
ANKARA
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said that Ankara will continue to make every effort to help find peaceful solution to regional conflicts, including the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Erdogan was speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the phone.
“The call addressed the Russia-Ukraine war as well as the conflicts between Israel and Palestine and the humanitarian crisis in the region,“ Türkiye’s Communications Directorate said on X.
“Stating that it is possible to resolve through peaceful means the regional conflicts, particularly the Israel-Palestine dispute, President Erdoğan noted that Türkiye will continue to make every effort to that end,” it added.
The conflict in Gaza, under Israeli bombardment and blockade since Oct. 7, began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
The death toll in the Gaza Strip due to the ongoing Israeli attacks has climbed to 4,385 including 1,756 children on Saturday, while the figure stands at more than 1,400 people in Israel.
Earlier today, a humanitarian convoy of 20 trucks began to enter the Gaza Strip from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, the first since the armed conflict broke out between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.
