Erdogan backs Gaza aid flotilla, slams Israeli ‘state terror’

PEACE Magazine gathered that activists on the Global Sumud Flotilla have embarked on the final leg of their mission to deliver relief to war-battered Gaza despite Israel’s blockade

By Abdullahi Yusuf

Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has thrown his weight behind the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian-led initiative set to challenge Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza, describing the volunteers as “travelers of courage” in the face of “Israeli state terror.”

Speaking at the Bosphorus Diplomacy Forum in Istanbul on Saturday, Erdogan hailed the unarmed activists for their determination to deliver humanitarian aid and solidarity to Palestinians.

“Unarmed activities, volunteers are delivering aid to Gaza. We salute the travelers of the Sumud Flotilla,” Erdogan said, adding that Türkiye’s moral support would always remain with them.

PEACE Magazine gathered that the flotilla, made up of international campaigners, has embarked on its final leg towards Gaza with the aim of breaking the 17-year-old naval blockade and supplying essential goods to civilians devastated by the ongoing war.

Erdogan further stressed that recognition of Palestine by some Western countries was “belated, but significant.” According to him, the recent wave of recognition came too late, after “65,000 innocent lives were lost in Gaza.”

“Any effort to correct past wrongs is welcome. But why was this not done before tens of thousands were killed?” he asked.

The Turkish leader also launched scathing criticism of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and what he described as his “genocidal cadre,” saying they must be brought to trial without delay.

“Those who reduce the issue in Gaza to just Hamas are slowly beginning to realise that the reality is quite different,” Erdogan said, warning that hunger was being “recklessly used as a weapon of mass destruction” against civilians.

He lamented the silence of the global community, pointing out that Netanyahu faced “empty seats” at the United Nations General Assembly. “The head of this genocide network had no audience for their lies and threats,” Erdogan remarked.

Broadening his address, Erdogan said Türkiye would not remain indifferent to suffering in Gaza, Yemen, Syria, Sudan, or Somalia. He described every loss of life in the region as “a piece torn from our own hearts.”

On global order, the Turkish president said the post-World War II system had “lost both its functionality and credibility,” warning that global peace had been replaced by “an endless cycle of war and instability.”

“While warlords pour fuel on the fire, Türkiye continues to pave the way towards peace in Palestine, Gaza, and across the region,” he concluded.

Report compiled with TRT Afrika and Anadolu Agency inputs

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