Turkey declares three days of mourning over Palestine deaths

Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc has announced three days of mourning beginning on Tuesday to show solidarity with Palestinians against the Israeli campaign on Gaza which has claimed nearly 570 lives so far.

Arinc said Turkey condemns Israel's massacre on Palestinians and he described Israel's military operation, as an "atrocity that has almost turned into a genocide."

Turkey is conducting diplomatic talks with its neighboring countries as well as the U.S. and the UN Security Council to help to resolve the situation in Gaza, he added.

"Israel should end its arbitrary treatment of the Palestinian people and understand that national security provides a just, fair and comprehensive peace," he said.

Since July 7, Israel has pounded the embattled coastal enclave with fierce air and naval bombardments with the stated aim of halting Palestinian rocket fire.

Sunday was the deadliest day yet of Israel's two-week onslaught, with at least 110 Palestinians – including 72 in eastern Gaza City's residential area of Shujaya – killed in devastating air and artillery attacks.

On Thursday night, Israel stepped up its offensive to include ground operations, sending thousands of troops into the embattled Palestinian territory.

Israel's military operation, dubbed operation "Protective Edge," is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the blockaded Gaza Strip within the last six years.

www.aa.com.tr/en