Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Saturday that he is cutting off communication with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to Israel’s actions in Gaza. Erdogan’s statement comes in response to Israel’s recent decision to “re-evaluate” its relations with Turkey due to the heated rhetoric surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Israel had previously withdrawn its diplomats from Turkey and neighboring countries for security reasons. The ongoing conflict in Gaza began with raids into Israel on October 7, which led to significant casualties and hostage situations. The Gaza health ministry, controlled by Hamas, reports a high number of casualties, including many women and children, as a result of Israeli strikes and a ground campaign.
Erdogan clarified that while communication with Netanyahu has been severed, diplomatic relations with Israel will continue. He mentioned that Turkey’s intelligence agency chief, Ibrahim Kalin, is actively involved in mediating an end to the conflict, engaging with both the Israeli and Palestinian sides.
Erdogan placed primary responsibility for the violence on Netanyahu and urged him to take steps to halt the conflict, emphasizing that Netanyahu had lost the support of his own citizens.
