Commenting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler said that his country condemns all forms of acts committed against civilians and all attacks targeting civilians and civilian groups.
Güler’s statement came as part of his participation Thursday in a meeting of NATO defense ministers in the Belgian capital, Brussels, the alliance’s headquarters.
Güler added: “Our position is very clear, whether in our country’s fight against terrorism or regarding all forms of wars and conflicts in our region. We condemn all acts committed against civilians and all attacks targeting civilian populations.”
The Turkish minister explained that “his country’s goal at the current stage is to release the hostages, prevent the spread of clashes in Gaza to other fronts, and end them without delay.”
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Güler stressed the need to launch peace talks as soon as possible and make progress on the two-state solution supported by the international community, “as this is the only path to lasting peace.”
At dawn on Saturday, Hamas and other Palestinian factions in Gaza launched Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” in response to “the continuing attacks by Israeli forces and settlers against the Palestinian people, their property and sanctities, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.”
On the other hand, the Israeli army launched Operation Iron Swords and continues to launch intensive raids on many areas in the Gaza Strip, which is inhabited by more than two million Palestinians who suffer from deteriorating living conditions as a result of an ongoing Israeli siege since 2006.
