The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, called on Israel to end its operations in Gaza, which he described as "bordering on genocide."

In a statement posted on Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter, Erdoğan said that the increasing attacks on Gaza would bring only "more pain, death, and tears."

Erdoğan stated, "It is clear that security cannot be guaranteed by bombing hospitals, schools, mosques, and churches." "I reiterate our call to the Israeli government to refrain from expanding its attacks against civilians and to immediately stop its operations that amount to genocide."

Israel claims it is targeting terrorist sites in the enclave as part of its campaign against Hamas since October 7, when around 2,500 fighters surged across the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip by land, air, and sea, resulting in the deaths of about 1,400 people and the abduction of another 200 - 250 hostages of various ages under the cover of thousands of rockets launched at Israeli towns and cities. The vast majority of the casualties occurred when militants took over border communities from civilians – men, women, children, and the elderly.

The Israeli Air Force has been bombing the enclave ever since. Health authorities run by Hamas stated on Friday that the death toll in the enclave had reached 4,100. It remains unclear how many of the dead are civilians and how many are members of terrorist groups, and these figures could not be independently verified.

Erdoğan said, "Our region needs to be rescued as soon as possible from the madness that is encouraged by Western countries and that Western media institutions compete to legitimize."

And I reiterate our call to the Israeli administration to refrain from expanding its attacks against civilians and to immediately stop its operations that amount to genocide.

He added, "We believe that our region will achieve lasting stability through the establishment of new mechanisms that ensure the safety of Muslims, Jews, Christians, and all who live in these lands."

Erdoğan has often criticized Israel and its policies during times of conflict, and the two countries have been at odds for many years under his leadership.

The last year saw a thaw in relations between Israel and Turkey after years of hostility between the leaders of the two countries. Israel was a long-standing regional ally of Turkey before Erdoğan came to power, but relations soured after an Israeli commando raid in 2010 on the Mavi Marmara ship heading to Gaza, which was part of the Freedom Flotilla attempting to break the blockade, resulting in the deaths of 10 Turkish activists who attacked Israeli soldiers on board.

Netanyahu and Erdoğan repeatedly took jabs at each other in the following years, including mutual accusations of genocide. In July 2014, Erdoğan accused the Jewish state of "keeping Hitler's spirit alive" during the war with Gaza.

Relations later improved moderately, but the two countries withdrew their ambassadors in 2018 amid violence in Gaza and the Trump administration's relocation of its embassy to Jerusalem.

Facing severe diplomatic isolation and economic troubles, Erdoğan began to show open willingness toward rapprochement in December 2020. In August of last year, Israel and Turkey announced the full renewal of diplomatic ties.

In late September, Erdoğan met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York in their first-known meeting, and the two discussed ways to cooperate enthusiastically. Erdoğan hosted President Isaac Herzog in March in Ankara – the first high-level Israeli visit since 2008 – and the Turkish leader met with Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in February. The then-Prime Minister Yair Lapid met with Erdoğan in New York during last year's General Assembly.

With the likelihood of the Israeli war with Hamas in Gaza expanding, relations between Tel Aviv and Ankara are likely to become tense again.