Türkiye won't stand idly by as Israel commits massacres in Gaza: Fidan
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira shake hands after a meeting in Ankara, June 12, 2024. (AA Photo)


Türkiye will not remain silent amid Israel's ongoing massacres in Gaza, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Wednesday.

Speaking at a joint news conference with his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira, Fidan noted that Türkiye would take action as the fundamentalist Netanyahu government continues its systematic massacres.

Fidan also said Türkiye appreciates Brazil's stance on the Gaza crisis.

"Türkiye welcomes Brazil's support to South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice," he said.

Brazil has opposed Israel's attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan previously said Brazil’s firm stance on Israeli violence committed on Palestinian territories is praiseworthy, as Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva himself has been a harsh critic of Israel’s military campaign on Gaza.

Last month, Türkiye announced it was preparing to submit its declaration of official intervention in the genocide case, becoming the first Muslim state and third nation after Nicaragua and Colombia to take legal action against Israel over its offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed at least 36,000 Palestinians, injured nearly 80,000 and forcibly displaced more than 2 million people.

Ankara has harshly denounced Israel’s attacks and blockade on Gaza, halted all trade with Tel Aviv, called for an immediate cease-fire and criticized what it calls unconditional support for Israel by the West.

In its interim ruling issued in January, the ICJ found it "plausible" that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, ordering it to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee aid flow to civilians, but Israel has steadily ignored the World Court.

He said that the only way for bloodshed in Gaza to end is through a two-state solution.

Türkiye seeks to convince world powers to join it for a permanent solution to the ongoing conflict and Erdoğan made personal visits and held phone calls with leaders of the countries with a say over the matter, from Qatar and Egypt to Saudi Arabia and Russia to mobilize the international community.

As many as 105 hostages were released as part of a brief truce in November in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

Around 125 people remain held captive, with many of them believed to be dead due to Israeli airstrikes.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of "genocide" at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where more than a million displaced Palestinians had sought refuge.