The Islamic world has failed to fulfill its "brotherly duty" before the people of Palestine, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.
"Unfortunately, the Islamic world, numbering about 2 billion people, has failed to fully fulfill its brotherly duty before the Palestinian people," Erdogan said at the 53rd General Assembly of Science Dissemination Foundation in Istanbul.
More than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 72,000 have suffered injures due to "Israeli attacks directed specifically against civilians," the Turkish leader said.
He reiterated Ankara's refusal to recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization and praised the improvement in the relationship with Egypt's leadership, which he said benefited the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Erdogan also compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to the Nazis.
"Since October 7, we have faced many shameful incidents that have broken our hearts. Netanyahu and his government, as a result of the crimes against humanity they committed in the Gaza Strip, have equated their names with [Nazi German leader Adolf] Hitler, [Italian fascist dictator Benito] Mussolini […] as today's Nazis," Erdogan said.
On October 7, 2023, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from Gaza and breached the border, killing 1,200 people and abducting around 240 others, according to Israeli data. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. At least 30,800 people have been killed so far in the Gaza Strip, acccording to the local authorities.