Turkey’s foreign ministry condemned Israel’s launch of a ground offensive in Gaza City on Tuesday and urged the UN Security Council to act to stop the assault and secure access for aid.
The ministry called the offensive “a new phase in the Netanyahu government’s genocidal plans” and said the operation shows Israel does not seek a ceasefire.
The statement said more than 1 million displaced Palestinians had sought shelter in Gaza City and warned that a new ground offensive would force more mass flight and deepen civilian suffering.
Gaza City is the largest urban center in the territory and has seen repeated evacuation orders since September 9, when the Israeli military told residents to leave the area.
News agencies and the United Nations reported renewed ground maneuvers and intensified strikes in and around the city this week, sending long lines of civilians onto damaged roads and into overcrowded camps in the south.
Aid groups scaled back operations as the Israeli military advanced, and UN humanitarian offices warned that people in Gaza City face daily bombardment and displacement with no safe place to go.
Turkey linked its appeal to ongoing diplomacy for a ceasefire that includes a hostages for prisoners exchange and guarantees for uninterrupted humanitarian deliveries.
The push into Gaza City began the same day a United Nations independent international commission of inquiry concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and urged states to act.
The commission said Israeli authorities carry out acts defined in the Genocide Convention and do so with the intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza in whole or in part.
The commission documented large-scale killing of civilians, starvation as a method of warfare, destruction of essential infrastructure and statements by senior officials that it assessed as evidence of genocidal intent.
The findings add legal weight to a growing body of expert and institutional assessments that describe Israel’s campaign in Gaza as genocide and call for an immediate ceasefire, expanded aid and accountability.