Ankara [Turkey], December 3 : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country will do everything for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to punish Israel for the genocide in the Gaza Strip, Russian news agency TASS reported.
Speaking to reporters upon returning from the COP28 summit in Dubai, the Turkish President said, "We will do our best to get the International Criminal Court to punish [Israel] for this genocide. This is a black mark not only on [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's government but also on those countries that unconditionally support it. And they too will pay for their silence for years to come. The world will not forget this indifference", the Anadolu news agency reported.
According to TASS, Erdogan informed that some 3,000 lawyers, including Turkish ones, have filed petitions with the ICC in connection with Israel's actions in Gaza.
"About three thousand lawyers have submitted the necessary applications to the ICC in The Hague. These people will follow the trial in The Hague. We expect that these butchers of Gaza, the authors of genocide, especially [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, who were caught red-handed, will receive the necessary punishment," the Turkish leader said.
He added that Turkey would step up efforts to hold Israel accountable.
"We will not forget this genocide and we will not let others forget it. Sooner or later, Israel will certainly pay for it. We will continue our efforts in the international arena to stop the Israeli attacks in Gaza and ensure a permanent ceasefire," he said, TASS reported.
Earlier, Erdogan, in a recent speech to his ruling party, branded Israel as a "terrorist state", CNN reported.
"Israel is implementing a strategy of total annihilation of a city and its people. I say very clearly and frankly that Israel is a terrorist state," Erdogan said.
He also vowed steps to ensure that Israel's political and military leaders face trial in international courts for their actions in Gaza.
"We will take steps to ensure that Israel's political and military leaders who brutally murdered the oppressed people of Gaza will face trial in international courts," the Turkish President said, according to CNN.
Responding to Erdogan's remarks, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired back on social media platform X, accusing Erdogan of supporting the "terror state of Hamas".
"By contrast, there are forces that support the terrorists. One of them is President Erdogan of Turkey, who calls Israel a terrorist state, but supports the terror state of Hamas and bombed Turkish villages inside Turkey itself. So, we're not going to get any lectures from them," the Israeli PM posted.
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