Turkish FM slams continued international failure to stop bloodshed in Gaza

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has slammed the international community for not stopping Israel's war against Palestine's Gaza and voiced concern about the spillover effect of the war to the region.

"One hundred and nine days into the conflict, it is a shame that the international community is still unable to stop the bloodshed in Gaza and the West Bank," Fidan told a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, on Tuesday.

"The argument that the current war is about providing security for Israel is far from being convincing. Yet, the proponents of this argument never talk about the security of the Palestinians nor Palestine’s right to self-defence," he added.

The meeting under UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres included senior foreign ministers and ambassadors from the 15 Council members, together with other nations.

Palestine's besieged city of Gaza is facing a humanitarian crisis from Israel’s unrelenting military operation, mounting death toll and escalating calls for an immediate cease-fire.

"Gaza used to be an open prison. Now, it is a battleground where the Israeli Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) runs military operations for killing civilians to extend his political life," Fidan said.

Genocide, spill-over

Stressing that Israel has been committing "serious war crimes," Fidan expressed concern that these crimes amount to genocide and said those responsible must be held accountable to restore faith in international law and the rules-based order.

The foreign minister also underlined the need to avoid the geographical escalation of the conflict, reiterating Türkiye's repeated warnings about the risks of spill-over.

"Recent incidents in the Red Sea, Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Pakistan are very very alarming. This escalation has the potential to turn into a geostrategic vortex, from which no one can easily escape," he cautioned.

The minister urged Israel and its supporters to seek a diplomatic solution while still achievable, saying: "The ongoing war in Gaza and beyond cannot lead to peace nor submission. We have a historical responsibility to stop this war."

Israel has pounded Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, on October 7, killing at least 25,490 Palestinians and injuring 63,354. 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.