Turkey will declare Israel a 'war criminal' for actions in Gaza, Erdogan says

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a rally organised by the AKP party in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, in Istanbul on October 28, 2023. Erdogan's Islamic-rooted party staged a massive pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul on October 28, 2023 that the Turkish leader said had drawn a crowd of 1.5 million. He unleashed a scathing attack at Israel and its Western supporters after taking the stage with a microphone in his hand. "The main culprit behind the massacre unfolding in Gaza is the West," Erdogan told the Turkish and Palestinian flag-waving crowd. (Photo by YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended a massive pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul on Saturday, where he announced his country is preparing to proclaim Israel a "war criminal" for its attacks on Gaza.

Erdogan spoke to hundreds of thousands of people and said Western countries were responsible for the thousands of deaths in Gaza for failing to stop Israel's airstrikes.

“Israel, we will proclaim you as a war criminal to the world,” Erdoga said. “We are making our preparations, and we will declare Israel to the world as a war criminal.”

Erdogan, whose government recently restored full diplomatic ties with Israel, has stepped up his criticism of the country. Earlier this week, he asserted that the Hamas militant group was not a terrorist organization but a liberation group fighting for its lands and people.

Participants at the rally waved Turkish and Palestinian flags, chanting “God is great.” Yusuf Islam, the musician formerly known as Cat Stevens, took part in the rally.