Speaking at an event in Saudi Arabia’s Mecca, Ali Erbaş, head of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (DIB or Diyanet), urged Muslims to join forces to stop the massacre of innocent Palestinians in Gaza by the occupying Zionists. "I pray to Allah for all Muslims to combine their powers and exert efforts for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital," Erbaş told participants of the Ninth Conference of Ministers of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs hosted by Saudi Arabia.

Erbaş, who was last seen at a funeral in absentia for slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, highlighted ongoing genocide and cruelty in Palestine and said he wished that the world would be a safer place for everyone, particularly Palestinians facing oppression and genocide in their own homeland.

Türkiye is a fervent advocate of the Palestinian cause for a free Palestinian state and since the new round of the Palestine-Israel conflict erupted last October, it advocated a peaceful, lasting solution to the issue. Yet, Israel’s relentless attacks pushed Türkiye to escalate its rhetoric against the Netanyahu administration. Türkiye, along with other countries, took its accusation of genocide and war crimes against Israel to an international court.