Türkiye making 'intense efforts' to pressure Israel post-UN cease-fire decision: President Erdogan

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said Türkiye is intensifying its efforts to put pressure on Israel such that it complies with the UN Security Council's recent decision for a cease-fire in Gaza during Ramadan.

"We are making intense efforts to heighten pressure on Israel after the UN Security Council's immediate ceasefire decision," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during an election rally in Istanbul's Sancaktepe district.

Türkiye is going to polls on Sunday to elect mayors and other local representatives.

"We will not stop until Palestinians recover their freedom as well as their lands which are occupied, and regain their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital," he added.

He recalled that Türkiye on Thursday sent an eighth aid vessel to Egypt carrying 125,000 food containers for the people in Gaza.

"We are doing everything within our reach, within our capabilities, and with all the resources available to us, leaving nothing undone. And we will continue to do so," Erdogan said.

The president said as Türkiye successfully handled challenges in Syria, Somalia, and Karabakh, it is also endeavoring to confront the "trial of Gaza with dignity."

"Those who label the courageous Palestinians defending their homeland as 'terrorists,' and those who cater to the whims of Israel's admirers, cannot utter a single word against us," he said.

Israel has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza since a cross-border incursion by Hamas last October, which claimed 1,200 lives. The bombardment and ground invasion has led to mass displacement, destruction and conditions of famine in the besieged enclave.

The UN Security Council on Monday passed a resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire for the month of Ramadan. There were 14 votes in favor with the US abstaining.