Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday warned that failing to draw lessons from the ongoing tragedy in the Gaza Strip risks paving the way for more conflict in the Palestinian enclave.
"If we do not learn from this tragedy and pursue a two-state solution to the crisis, this will not be the last Gaza war. Other wars and more tears will await us," Fidan said in an interview with Saudi state-owned news broadcaster Al-Arabiya.
"We need to urge Israel to accept the 1967 borders. All Palestinians, not just Hamas, agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders," Fidan told the Riyadh-based channel.
"Israel continues to steal land and it uses Hamas as an excuse to hide it. It tells everyone, 'Look at Gaza!' Meanwhile, it continues to steal land in the West Bank. The international community must wake up and see this hypocrisy," said Fidan.
He said Türkiye's priority is to secure a cease-fire in Gaza, adding that it is in close contact with Qatar on the matter.
"On the one hand, we are trying to ensure the entry of humanitarian aid, and on the other hand, we are trying to mobilize the international system for a two-state solution, which we see as a strategic and lasting solution," Fidan said.
He expressed support for Egypt and Qatar's efforts to secure a cease-fire and said that the lack of results so far does not mean the negotiation process has failed.
"We have to recognize that this is a difficult issue," he said, adding that Israel has been reluctant to reach an agreement or compromise.
Underlining that Türkiye has been providing all possible support to the Palestinian side, including Hamas, he said Ankara has expressed "readiness to offer positive and constructive contributions to the negotiations."
Fidan called on the international community to act on a cease-fire and two-state solution, saying, "As Türkiye, we have focused our efforts on these two issues in particular."
Ankara has been a vocal critic of Israel since the start of the conflict on Oct. 7 and a staunch defender of the Palestinian cause. It has accused Israel of carrying out war crimes and genocide in Gaza. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan describes Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the European Union, as freedom fighters.
Türkiye has also floated a guarantorship model for the conflict, which several Palestinian officials have welcomed.
"In essence, Israel is constantly using Hamas as a bogeyman to hide its own purpose and intentions,” Fidan said. “It presents Hamas to the international community as a radical, irrational organization that is unwilling to negotiate. By doing so, Israel is trying to hide its real goals and intentions from the public.”
On the matter of Israeli hostages being held in the Gaza Strip, Fidan said this "is a humanitarian situation."
"We are very sensitive about this issue. Our president is compassionate about the requests he has received regarding the hostages. He has instructed our intelligence services and us (Foreign Ministry) to do the necessary work," he said.
"We have contacts with Israel on this issue. We convey requests from the Israelis and even from other countries to Hamas. In other words, our contacts continue, especially regarding the release of hostages," he added.
Fidan warned that tensions between regional rivals Iran and Israel could boil over into a larger war. "While the situation appears calm for now, this potential always exists," Fidan cautioned.
Israel and Iran traded missile and drone attacks last month after Israel leveled the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, drawing international calls for restraint.
Israel has waged a brutal military offensive on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a cross-border attack led by Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people.
Nearly 34,700 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and 78,000 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Nearly seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave's population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the U.N.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop "genocidal acts" and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
Türkiye last week said it would join the case filed by South Africa, alongside Nicaragua and Colombia.
"Türkiye is hoping the ICJ will act according to the principle that international law must be applied equally to all without exceptions," a Turkish parliamentary official said as he confirmed that the formal application draft was underway.
Along with several other countries, a team of Turkish legal experts is also working to get the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Israel’s war crimes and human rights violations in Gaza and get the court to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel doesn’t recognize The Hague’s jurisdiction since it’s not a member of the court, but the warrant would be binding in over 120 countries that are members of the ICC, including most European countries, Japan and Australia, rendering Netanyahu unable to travel or risk detention.
