The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has declared that the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, will be tried for war crimes, referring to the offensive of the Israelis in the Gaza Strip.
In a speech at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, Erdogan said Netanyahu has admitted to pursuing expansionist policies, adding that defending Gaza is the same as defending other Islamic cities in the region.
"Apart from being a war criminal, Netanyahu, who is the butcher of Gaza, will be tried as such, just as Milosevic was tried," Erdogan said, referring to former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who was tried in The Hague for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Kosovo, Bosnia and Croatia.
Turkey has been one of Israel's harshest critics regarding the offensive in Gaza, which was launched in response to the Hamas attack on October 7. The Ministry of Health in Gaza reports that so far, more than 15,500 people have died from Israeli attacks.
"The butcher of Gaza, Netanyahu, personally revealed in front of the cameras that it is not a question of Gaza or Ramallah, but has expansionist goals. Therefore, protecting Gaza and Palestine today means protecting Mecca, Medina, Istanbul and Jerusalem, protecting Damascus, Beirut, Baghdad and other Muslim cities," the Turkish president stressed.