Türkiye remains steadfast in its support of Palestine’s “honorable resistance”, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz told Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in a phone call on Friday.
“Under the leadership of our President Mr. (Recep Tayyip) Erdoğan, we will resolutely continue to fight Israel’s crimes against humanity and war crimes in Palestine on international platforms and to support the honorable resistance of the Palestinian people,” Yılmaz said.
The discussion with Mustafa – who is currently in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul – focused on the escalating situation in Gaza and the West Bank, Yılmaz said on X.
Yılmaz also highlighted Mustafa’s gratitude for Türkiye’s unwavering support, stating: “Mr. Mustafa expressed great appreciation for Türkiye’s support for Palestine’s just cause on all platforms.”
Mustafa separately held a phone call with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan earlier on Friday to discuss cease-fire efforts for Gaza, diplomatic sources said.
During the call, Fidan and Mustafa spoke about the situation in the embattled Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.
The sources added that Fidan highlighted the importance of inter-Palestinian reconciliation and expressed Türkiye’s support for this.
Erdoğan and the Turkish government have been outspoken in their opposition to Israel’s brutal offensive on Gaza and more recently in Lebanon.
Israel launched a brutal offensive on Gaza following an attack by Hamas in October 2023 and continues it to this day despite a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
The offensive, now in its second year, has killed over 44,000 people and injured 104,000, also leaving most of Gaza a devastated, uninhabitable wasteland, with food, medicine and water all in short supply.
Months of attempts to negotiate a cease-fire have yielded scant progress, and negotiations are now on hold. Mediator Qatar suspended its efforts until the sides were prepared to make concessions.
The United States vetoed on Wednesday another U.N. Security Council push for a cease-fire that Washington claimed would have “emboldened” Hamas.
