Erdogan: "Netanyahu Must Admit Nuclear Bomb... Israel Is a Terrorist State"

As the war between Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas continues for over a month, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) raided the Al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip, prompting Middle Eastern and Arab countries to unanimously criticize Israel. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an effectively labeled Israel as a terrorist state and pressured it to "acknowledge its possession of nuclear bombs."

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

On the 15th (local time), President Erdo?an attended a ruling party meeting at the parliament in Ankara and addressed the Israeli Prime Minister, saying, "Admit that you have nuclear bombs; you threaten with nuclear bombs because you possess them." He warned, "No matter how many bombs you have, your end is near."

Israel, known as the only unofficial nuclear power in the Middle East, has maintained an ambiguous stance, neither confirming nor denying its possession of nuclear weapons. However, on the 5th, Michai Eliyahu, Israel’s far-right Minister for Jerusalem and Heritage, sparked controversy by stating that "a nuclear strike could be one of the options" in relation to the Gaza Strip conflict.

Furthermore, President Erdo?an actively defended Hamas, the Palestinian armed faction that raided Israel, calling it "the party that won the Palestinian elections." He also said, "This is a matter of the crescent and the cross." AFP interpreted Erdo?an’s remarks as implying "that Western and Christian forces supporting Israel are fighting against the Muslim world."

President Erdo?an reiterated that Turkey would take measures on the international stage to prevent massacres. He also stated that efforts would be made internationally to have the Israeli occupying authorities designated as "terrorists." Earlier, on the 5th, he had labeled Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza as a "war crime" and announced plans to file a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In response, Prime Minister Netanyahu issued a statement that evening, saying, "While calling Israel a terrorist state, he (President Erdo?an) actually supports Hamas, a terrorist organization."

Netanyahu added, "He has also shelled villages within Turkey’s borders," emphasizing, "We will not listen to his sermons."

Meanwhile, Middle Eastern and Arab countries joined in the criticism against Israel. Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the IDF’s attack on Al-Shifa Hospital, stating it "violates international law, including the Geneva Conventions on the protection of civilians during wartime."

The Palestinian Authority (PA) Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement calling the Al-Shifa raid "a clear violation of international law" and urged the international community to intervene urgently to protect local civilians.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.