22 August 2016•Update: 22 August 2016
By Diyar Guldogan and Satuk Bugra Kutlugun
ANKARA
The Turkish Foreign Ministry Monday strongly condemned Israel's disproportionate attacks in the blockaded Gaza Strip.
"The attacks, which caused injuries to innocent Palestinian civilians, are not acceptable regardless of their grounds," the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said Israel’s "hostile attitude" had interrupted the peace process as well as a period of inactivity.
"Normalizing ties with Israel does not mean that we will keep silent in the face of attacks against the Palestinian people," it added, referring to ties recently restored after a break of six years.
It said Turkey will continue to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people against Israeli action that violates international law and offends the conscience.
The Israeli military said in a statement Sunday that a rocket hit the southern city of Sderot from Palestinian territory.
"In response to the attack, the Israeli air forces and armored corps targeted two Hamas posts in the southern Gaza Strip,” the statement said.
In July and August of 2014, Israel waged a weeks-long military offensive against the Gaza Strip with the ostensible aim of staunching rocket fire from the coastal enclave.
Over 2,160 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were killed – and some 11,000 injured – during the 51-day onslaught. Some 73 Israelis, mostly soldiers, were killed in the offensive.
