Politics Erdogan accuses Israel of executions in the Gaza Strip
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Israel of "executions" in the Gaza Strip.
08.04.2025, 16:11
SDA
"We have witnessed a banditry that is committing clear war crimes by even shooting at ambulances transporting the wounded and executing medical personnel," Erdogan said in Ankara.
Israel is currently being sharply criticized in connection with paramedics killed on 23 March. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), an ambulance and a fire engine were attacked by Israeli soldiers in Rafah. The bodies of 14 men were only recovered from a mass grave seven days later.
The Israeli army had initially claimed that several vehicles had approached the troops in a suspicious manner. The military has since admitted that the account was false and based on statements by the soldiers involved. However, soldiers had not deliberately killed anyone and had not tried to cover anything up. According to the military, six of those killed were members of the Islamist Hamas.
Erdogan has repeatedly and harshly attacked Israel in the context of its actions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The already ailing relations between the two countries are also strained by a conflict of interest in Syria. Turkey is a close ally of the new government in Damascus and wants to be a key partner in building up the military, among other things.
Israel sees Turkey's increasing presence in Syria as a threat. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also made this an issue during his meeting with US President Donald Trump: "We do not want Syria to be used by anyone, including Turkey, as a base for attacks on Israel." Trump then offered to mediate, calling Erdogan his friend and a "tough guy" who had taken Syria with the help of proxies.
