Erdogan: Israel must be tried for its crimes

(Patria) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the most important thing now is to establish an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Erdogan spoke to reporters on the plane on his way back from an official visit to Germany.

The Turkish president stressed that he also discussed the brutal Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip with German officials.

"We clearly told them that Israel is a terrorist state," Erdogan said, adding that the Israeli army had displaced the people of Gaza from the north to the south.

"They are being bombed from all sides, from the air, sea and land. The mentality of destroying and eliminating Palestinians in that area, which began with Theodor Herzl, continues today," he said.

Erdogan emphasized that the most important thing now is to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible.

"Our priority after the ceasefire is to establish lasting peace. If a ceasefire is achieved, we will do everything necessary to make Israel pay compensation for the destruction it has caused. We will also make every effort to rebuild the infrastructure in Gaza, to rebuild destroyed schools and hospitals," the Turkish president said.

He stated that Turkey will certainly continue to send aid and "keep Gaza alive."

"We will do this despite all obstacles. The whole world, especially Islamic countries, need to mobilize to provide aid," he added.

He also stressed that Israel is trying to justify its occupation and aggression with lies.

"Now they are trying to find excuses for the war crimes they committed in Gaza with fabrications," Erdogan said, adding that Israel must be tried for its crimes.

"There is a lot of evidence that the Israeli administration is being tried at the International Criminal Court. If a Muslim state had committed the war crimes that Israel committed, the judicial process would have been initiated immediately. We will do our best to ensure Israel is punished for these crimes," he said.

As he said, Israel committed these crimes not unknowingly or by mistake, but in a planned and deliberate manner.

"All the massacres were planned, where and how women, men and children would be killed. Israel enters the hospital with tanks and cannons. It is still looking for a tunnel under the hospital. It turned out that it was all a lie," Erdogan said.

He finally recalled that numerous pro-Palestinian protests are being held around the world, sending a strong message to the public.

"Israeli barbarism, disproportionate use of force and recklessness are now being criticized in many countries," the Turkish president said.