Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai that the resumption of Israeli attacks on Gaza was "very negative," Erdogan's office said Friday.
Turkey said in a statement that it was working to achieve a lasting cease-fire, but that the Muslim world needed to act in unison.
"While discussing the climate crisis, we cannot ignore the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Palestinian territories right beside us," Erdogan told leaders during his formal speech to the COP28 conference.
"The current situation in Gaza constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity; those responsible must be held accountable under international law," he said.
Erdogan's comments were echoed by South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa and Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.
"Continuous bombardment of Gaza complicates mediation efforts and exacerbates humanitarian catastrophe," the Qatari minister said.
