Prime Minister Ünal Üstel stated that they have repeatedly called for a ceasefire against Israel’s attacks on Gaza and said, “What happened in Gaza has turned into a massacre rather than a war.”
Üstel made statements to the Anadolu Agency (AA) correspondent regarding Israel’s attacks on civilians in the blockaded Gaza Strip for more than a month.
He stated that Israel bombed the city of Gaza and massacred civilians who had nothing to do with the war, emphasizing that Israel does not comply with the law and morality of war.
Reminding that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has repeatedly called for a ceasefire, Üstel argued that the United Nations (UN) and the international community remained insensitive to the calls for peace and were content with watching Israel’s massacres.
Criticizing the UN and the European Union (EU) for remaining indifferent to the Israeli aggression in Gaza, Üstel said “What happened in Gaza is no longer a war, it has turned into a massacre. It has turned into a complete murder. Both the UN and the EU are watching Israel’s massacres and are bystanders”.
Reminding that similar events took place in Cyprus against the Turkish Cypriots from 1963 to 1974; Üstel said that the advantage of the Turkish Cypriots was that they had motherland Türkiye as their guarantor to support them.
“The lack of such a situation for the Palestinians has led to the world to remain a bystander while they are being massacred” said Üstel.
Also criticizing the UN for its failure to call for a ceasefire against the Israeli aggression in Gaza, he emphasized that the UN’s main duty is to ensure peace around the world and to reconcile the warring parties.
Explaining that the UN is dealing with secondary issues while its main duty is not fulfilled, Üstel said, “The UN should return to its main duty as soon as possible. They should ensure a ceasefire in Gaza.”
He also said that Israel’s attacks on hospitals in Gaza are war crimes, and emphasized that no one can excuse the massacre of physicians, health workers and innocent people receiving treatment in hospitals.