CAIRO 

Turkish ambassador to Egypt Salih Mutlu Shen on Monday visited head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope Tawadros II, in his office in Cairo. 

In a statement, the Turkish diplomat expressed his country's keenness to establish positive relations and close communication with Egypt’s Coptic Christians.

He said the Turkish Embassy has developed close friendship ties with many prominent Egyptian Copts.

Pope Tawadros II, for his part, hailed his meeting with the Turkish envoy, saying that Egyptian Copts lived in Türkiye and practiced their worship freely.

He said Copts fully support the rights of the Palestinian people and their cause, provide humanitarian aid, especially food, and that they are waiting and demanding a ceasefire as soon as possible.

Tawadros said they received the stance of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Palestine with great respect and appreciation.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 36,400 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and over 82,600 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara