Türkiye has declared three days of national mourning in honor of those Palestinians who died in attacks on Gaza, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Wednesday.

A national mourning period has been declared as “a requirement of our respect for thousands of martyrs, most of whom are children and innocent civilians,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on X. (formally Twitter)

“As Türkiye, we feel the great suffering of our Palestinian brothers and sisters in our hearts,” he added.

In the wake of the declaration, Turkish flags on all public buildings and foreign representations across the country have been lowered to half-staff.