Erdogan: Turkey aims to rebuild Gaza if a ceasefire is reached

2023-11-18 17:05:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Turkey will make efforts to rebuild destroyed infrastructure, hospitals and schools in the Gaza Strip if a ceasefire is reached, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying on November 18.

"If a ceasefire is reached, we will do everything necessary to compensate for the destruction caused by Israel," Erdogan told reporters on the plane the Turkish leader was returning from Germany.

Israel has so far rejected calls for a ceasefire, saying it will continue military operations in the Gaza Strip until it destroys Hamas — the Palestinian group designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union — and frees hostages taken by Hamas. .

The war between Israel and Hamas started on October 7, after Hamas attacks in southern Israel. Hamas attackers killed nearly 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and kidnapped 240 others.

More than 11,400 Palestinians have been killed during the war, two-thirds of them women and children, according to Palestinian health authorities. Another 2,700 are reported missing and believed to be trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings. In the casualty figures presented by the Palestinian authorities, no distinction is made between Hamas fighters and civilians. Israel has said it has killed thousands of Hamas attackers.

"We will make efforts to rebuild the damaged infrastructure in Gaza and rebuild the destroyed schools, hospitals and water and energy buildings," Erdogan was quoted as saying, according to broadcaster A Haber.

Turkey has strongly criticized Israel for the war in Gaza. Earlier in the week, Erdogan called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reveal whether Israel has nuclear weapons, and during a conversation with reporters on Nov. 18, he called for inspections of Israel for nuclear weapons.

"As Turkey, we make this appeal. Israel's nuclear weapons must be inspected and all suspicion removed before it is too late," he said.

Erdogan also said that the families of Israelis being held hostage by Hamas have sent him a letter, asking him to intervene so that they are safe. The Turkish president said that the Turkish intelligence agency is actively looking into this issue./ REL