The Turkish leader made the threat during a speech delivered at a pro-Palestine rally on the evening of Oct. 28 in the city of Istanbul. He accused Israel of being responsible for war crimes and lauded Hamas as "freedom fighters." The group was behind the Oct. 7 attacks at a music festival in Israel, which prompted a swift military response from Jerusalem.
In the same speech, Erdogan claimed that Israel "has been openly committing war crimes for 22 days" and claimed that the Jewish country has espoused "a similar mentality" to that of Nazi Germany during World War II.
"In the past, [the Nazis] were massacring the Jewish people in the gas chambers and they were indeed wiping out regions with bombs. A similar mentality is being shown in Gaza today."
"From now on, we will continue on our path with the motto that we may suddenly knock on your door one night," the Turkish president continued, insinuating that members of the Turkish Armed Forces could come to Israel unannounced. This triggered an ecstatic reception from the crowd, which responded by chanting "Turkish military to Gaza."
Erdogan concluded his speech by telling the crowd that Ankara was preparing to "tell the world that Israel is a war criminal." The Turkish leader's actions did not sit well with Israeli officials, who quickly responded by withdrawing diplomatic staffers from the country.
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen noted that the remarks from Erdogan had led him to reexamine ties between Jerusalem and Ankara. "Given the grave statements coming from Turkey, I have ordered the return of diplomatic representatives there in order to conduct a re-evaluation of the relations between Israel and Turkey," he said in a statement.
Erdogan earlier offered to mediate Israel, Hamas talks
Erdogan's Oct. 28 remarks are a complete 180 from his initial statements that centered on peace. According to an Oct. 11 piece by the Business Standard, the Turkish leader has even offered to mediate in talks between Hamas and Israel.
"I would like to state that Turkey is ready for any kind of mediation, including prisoner exchanges, if the parties request it," he said. "We continue to step up our diplomatic contacts, which we have been maintaining for a while and have intensified even more."
Erdogan also stressed that the war is subject to a moral and ethical code that both warring sides "are obliged to comply with." Both sides were urged to follow peace, with Israel told to stop bombing Palestinian territories and Palestinian forces told to stop the harassment of civilian settlements in Israel. These actions, he said, "will also open the door to peace."
"The destruction of Gaza by air and ground attacks; the bombing of mosques; and the deaths of innocent children, women, elderly and civilians are never acceptable. We have always said and continue to say that we disapprove of letting a single innocent person get harmed, whether in Israel or Palestine's lands. Our position has not changed." (Related: Turkey's Erdogan warns of "spiral of violence" in phone call with Israel's Herzog.)
At the time, Erdogan stressed that Ankara is making necessary preparations for humanitarian aid that Gaza may require ahead of an impending invasion by Israeli forces. This invasion has been delayed following international pressure. But it appears that Jerusalem turned a deaf ear to Erdogan's call for peace between the two sides, prompting the Turkish leader to threaten war.
Head over to WWIII.news for more stories about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Watch this footage of the Oct. 28 pro-Palestine rally in the Turkish city of Istanbul, where Erdogan threatened war against Israel.
This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Turkish president calls for Muslim world to UNITE against Israel.
Sources include:
Please contact us for more information.
