ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reached a level with the genocidal methods he has put forward that would even make Hitler jealous.

“Is it possible to look at what Israel has inflicted on the people of Gaza for months and see it as legitimate for Israel to bomb hospitals, kill children, oppress civilians, and condemn innocent people to hunger, thirst, and lack of medicine under various excuses? What did Hitler do in the past? He oppressed and killed people in concentration camps,” Erdogan told Greece’s Kathimerini newspaper in an interview.

“Wasn't Gaza turned into an open-air prison not only after Oct. 7, but also for years beforehand? Weren't the people there condemned to limited resources for years, almost like a concentration camp? Who is responsible for the most brutal and systematic mass killings in Gaza after Oct. 7?”

“Netanyahu has reached a level that would make Hitler jealous with his genocidal methods. We are talking about Israel; which targets ambulances, hits food distribution points, and opens fire on aid convoys,” he said.

Israel has killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians since an Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border incursion by Hamas that claimed 1,200 lives.

The onslaught has reduced much of Gaza to rubble, besides causing widespread hunger and disease in the enclave blockaded since 2007.

The International Court of Justice in January found it is "plausible" that Israel committed acts that violate the 1948 Genocide Convention. In a provisional order, it said Israel must ensure that its forces do not commit any of the acts prohibited by the convention. The case, brought by South Africa, is ongoing in The Hague.

President Erdogan said the rights and freedoms of the people of Gaza, especially their right to life, have been violated. “We defend their rights. We defend peace. Israel, on the other hand, continues to recklessly violate UN resolutions, international law and human rights,” he said.

The Turkish leader said the Palestinian resistance would not be needed if there had been “sovereign, independent, geographically integrated state of Palestine, within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

“Hamas has also declared that if this happens, it will disband its armed wing and continue as a political party. A solution based on two states is an effective way to ensure lasting and sustainable peace,” Erdogan said, adding that the Palestinian group agreed to a cease-fire deal, but Israel “does not want” a truce because it wants to “occupy the entire Gaza.”

“Cruelty and massacre continue. We continue to strive for a solution. Those who support Israel need to rethink all these events and be on the side that defends peace and tranquility with a sense of historical responsibility,” he said.

Hamas this week agreed to a proposal by Qatari and Egyptian mediators to halt seven months of war, but Israel rejected it and launched an operation in Rafah, where 1.4 million Palestinians have taken refuge.