Turkey urges world to prevent Israeli aggression from escalating

By Dilan Pamuk

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's presidential spokesperson urged the international community early Friday to prevent the escalation of Israel's aggression against the Palestinian people.

Ibrahim Kalin said on Twitter that Israel’s attacks on the Palestinian community "are against international law and basic morality" and "must come to an immediate end."

Noting that Turkey will keep supporting the Palestinians, he said: "We urge the world to take action now to stop the new waves of Israeli aggression."

Israel continues to target Gaza with heavy bombardment, killing 83 Palestinians so far, including 17 children and seven women, according to health officials. At least 487 others have been injured in addition to heavy damage to residential buildings across the enclave.

To date, seven Israelis have been killed in the recent violence -- six of them in rocket attacks, in addition to a soldier killed when an anti-tank guided missile struck his jeep.

Tensions have been running high in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem over the past month as Israeli settlers swarmed in following a court order for the eviction of Palestinian families in the area.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed the entire city in 1980 -- a move that has never been recognized by the international community.