Turkey to intensify criticism of Israel over Gaza war at UN

Turkey, one of the world's sharpest critics of Israel's military operation in Gaza, will use the U.N. General Assembly this week to spotlight what it describes as a genocide unfolding there and will urge international pressure on Israel.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and several Turkish ministers will participate in the General Assembly in New York, which comes amid heightened cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, alongside the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

NATO member Turkey has condemned Israel's military campaign in Gaza, launched in response to the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 last year. Turkey halted all trade with Israel and applied to join a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Israel has repeatedly dismissed the genocide case as baseless, arguing that its operations in Gaza are acts of self-defense targeting Hamas, which rules the territory.

Erdogan is scheduled to address the General Assembly on Tuesday, where he plans to emphasize what he has described as the "ongoing genocide in Gaza" and renew his call for U.N. reforms to make the organization more inclusive, according to a Turkish diplomatic source.

The Turkish delegation, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, will raise the Gaza issue in all its meetings and bilateral talks throughout the week, the source added.

Fidan on Sunday urged his Muslim counterparts in New York to use their influence this week to bring attention to the Gaza situation, the source said.

Erdogan has already met with the leaders of Serbia and Albania in New York. The source noted that he and Fidan will also hold talks on counterterrorism, mediation, regional relations, and investments.

Reuters