Turkey's Erdoğan calls on Israelis, Palestinians to act with restraint

Reuters - Duvar English

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Oct. 7 called on Israelis and Palestinians to act with restraint following the Islamist group Hamas launched an attack on Israel.

Speaking at the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) 4th Extraordinary Grand Congress in the capital Ankara, Erdoğan said "We call for restraint from all parties. They must refrain from aggressive acts."

"We will continue to stand against any attempt and any occupation to erode the historical and religious status of our first qibla, the Al-Aqsa Mosque," he added according to reporting from state-run Anadolu Agency.

What happened?

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years on Oct. 7, killing more than 20 people in a surprise assault that combined gunmen penetrating into Israeli towns with a barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.

Israel said the Iran-backed group had declared war as its army confirmed fighting with militants in several Israeli towns and military bases near Gaza and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate.

"Our enemy will pay a price the type of which it has never known," he said. "We are in a war and we will win it."

At least 22 Israelis were killed in the attack so far with more than 250 wounded, Israel's ambulance service said, but added that the toll was expected to rise.

The Israeli military said it had launched air strikes into Gaza, where witnesses reported hearing heavy explosions, with at least two dead.

The attack marked an unprecedented infiltration by an unknown number of Hamas gunmen into Israel from Gaza, and one of the most serious escalations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in years.