Targeting innocent civilians is not war or self-defense but it amounts to barbarity and state terrorism, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday, as he slammed Israel's brutality and disregard for international law as it targets civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara, President Erdoğan criticized the ongoing atrocities and the West's indifference as he said they refrain from any criticism of Israel because they had committed crimes against Jews in the past.

But he said Türkiye is the only country that Israel cannot label as anti-Semitic.

"You cannot see such a stain of shame in Türkiye's past," he said.

Israel is trying to break the resilience of Gazans by deliberately bombing hospitals in the besieged enclave, Erdoğan said, referring to repeated, deliberate attacks on Gaza hospitals in recent weeks.

Israel and its supporters, which use all modern war tools against children, women, and the elderly, will be judged before the conscience of humanity, said Erdoğan.

Since the beginning of Israel's attack on Gaza on Oct. 7, the embattled enclave has seen atrocities and cruelty similar to what happened in the medieval Crusades and World War II, he added.

Türkiye is the "only country" that Israel cannot call antisemitic, Erdogan said, adding: "You cannot see such a stain of shame in Türkiye's past."

"If we don't react to what is happening in Gaza, we will not be able to prevent occupier fanaticism from reaching our own lands tomorrow," he said.

Since Israel started bombarding Gaza on Oct. 7, at least 13,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 9,000 women and children, and more than 30,000 others have been injured, according to the latest figures.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel's relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.

An Israeli blockade has also cut Gaza off from fuel, electricity, and water supplies, and reduced aid deliveries to a small trickle.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.

Targeting innocent civilians is not war or self-defense but it amounts to barbarity and state terrorism, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday, as he slammed Israel's brutality and disregard for international law as it targets civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza.

'If we don't react to what is happening in Gaza, we would not be able to prevent occupier fanaticism from reaching our own lands tomorrow,' says Turkish President Erdogan