The Turkish Foreign Ministry has issued a statement expressing deep concern regarding the recent escalation of Israeli attacks targeting the southern city of Rafah in Gaza.

According to the Ministry's statement released on Monday, these aggressive actions come in the wake of the extensive destruction and loss of life already inflicted upon Gaza, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis in the region.

"We are extremely concerned by Israel's escalating attacks on the southern city of Rafah following the destruction and massacres it has already inflicted on Gaza," the statement said.

'Exacerbate the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza'

It characterized Israel's ongoing military offensive in Rafah as a part of a broader strategy aimed at forcibly displacing the Palestinians in Gaza from their ancestral lands.

"Ongoing attacks will exacerbate the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza and undermine the efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire in the region," it said.

The statement called upon the international community, with a particular emphasis on the United Nations Security Council, to take immediate and decisive action to put an end to Israel's military aggression in Gaza.

It urged concerted diplomatic efforts to uphold the principles of justice, respect for human rights, and the rule of law in the region.

Death toll nears 30,000

Israel launched a deadly offensive on Gaza on October 7 that has killed at least 28,064 Palestinians and injured 67,611 following a surprise attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85 percent of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60 percent of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.