Erdogan: Many media outlets turned a blind eye to Israel's war crimes in Gaza

(Patria) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that many media outlets turned a blind eye to the war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza.

In a video message to the participants of the International Strategic Communication Summit (STRATCOM), Erdogan expressed his satisfaction with the holding of this year's STRATCOM, which has become globally recognized.

The Turkish President emphasized that the summit is being organized at a time when indescribable tragedies are unfolding in Gaza.

- Since October 7, savagery and bloodshed have reigned in Gaza, where all human values have been trampled, Erdogan said, adding that the civilians intentionally killed by Israel are not only children and women, but also journalists who, despite all difficulties, are trying to convey the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza to the world.

He pointed out that 60 journalists have been killed in Israeli attacks so far.

- Israel, which is clearly committing a war crime by cutting off electricity and water, leaving the population without fuel and food, is trying to cut off Gaza from the rest of the world to prevent the spread of news about their oppression. Unfortunately, international organizations and the global system are failing in the face of this brutality. The UN Security Council, responsible for ensuring global peace and stability, has become completely dysfunctional in this process, Erdogan said.

He noted that the UN resolution adopted by 121 countries is important because it reflects the common conscience of humanity.

- Regarding the crisis in Gaza, another thing that saddened us, besides the deaths of children, was the biased reporting of some international media. Many media outlets turned a blind eye to the war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza. This stance did not change even after the killing of their colleagues by Israeli security forces.

I believe that this unprincipled stance has deeply hurt not only the families of the deceased journalists but also the entire media community, said the Turkish president.

Stating that Turkiye has stood by the Palestinian people since day one and opposed Israeli oppression, Erdogan reminded that they did not allow a propaganda war aimed at destroying or distorting the truth.

- We have exposed over 100 fake news stories and revealed the truth through our Center for Combating Disinformation. Our Directorate of Communications, Anadolu Agency, and TRT have fulfilled their duties.

Turkish media that reported promptly from the field have shown great courage. I want to congratulate all journalists who defended the truth, whether domestic or foreign. The critical events that have occurred recently have shown us once again how important strategic communication is. Together we have seen and continue to see that wars, conflicts, attacks, and defenses do not only happen on the front lines, Erdogan emphasized.

He stressed the need for a collective fight against the destructive effects of disinformation, which corrupt democracy and target individual rights and freedoms.

- I consider the third Strategic Communication Summit, hosted by our Directorate of Communications, to be very important. I hope that the discussions on stability, security, and solidarity in the global fight against hybrid threats will be productive. With these thoughts, I would like to express my gratitude in advance to all our speakers and guests who will contribute to the summit, Erdogan concluded.

The two-day summit, where participants will address global issues in the field of strategic communication, began on Friday in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul. The theme of this year's summit is “Global Fight Against Hybrid Threats: Stability. Security. Solidarity.”

More than 60 speakers from the public and private sectors, media, academia, think tanks, and non-governmental organizations from over 30 countries will attend the event. It is expected that 3,000 domestic and foreign participants will attend the event, which will consist of 9 panels, 9 speeches, and 3 video messages. Many topics will be discussed, from the fight against hybrid threats to digital public communication, from new technologies to artificial intelligence, from humanitarian crises to international resilience building.

The Summit will also discuss cooperation in the global fight against disinformation, as well as Turkiye's fight against disinformation.