UN system and values are "dying in Gaza" as death toll rises, Turkish president says

The system of the United Nations and the values championed by the West “are dying in Gaza” as the death toll in the enclave rises, Turkey’s president told the assembly on Tuesday amid tension in the region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday condemned the UN Security Council for failing to stop the war in Gaza.

Speaking at a gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly, he said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government are “endangering the lives” of Palestinians, Israelis and “the entire region for political gain.”

Erdogan said: “I call out to the UN Security Council: What are you waiting for to prevent the genocide in Gaza, to put a stop to this cruelty, this barbarianism?”

He added that the situation in Palestine “is a sign of a great moral collapse” and the Israeli government is disregarding basic human rights, “trampling on international law at every opportunity, and is practicing ethnic cleansing.”

He said the war is “a clear genocide” against the Palestinians and an occupation of their land. Erdogan called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where authorities say Israeli operations since last October have killed at least 41,467 people.

“An immediate and permanent ceasefire should be achieved, a hostage-prisoner exchange should be carried out, and humanitarian aid should be delivered to Gaza in an unhindered and uninterrupted way,” he said.

“Countries that have a say over Israel are openly complicit in this massacre … Those who are supposedly working for a ceasefire in front of the stage continue to send arms and ammunition to Israel so that it can continue its massacres on the background. This is inconsistency and insincerity.” 

Erdogan said the Israeli government, in “constantly dragging its feet,” is making it “almost impossible” for a ceasefire to be reached, signaling that it “doesn’t want peace.” 

He urged the international community to stop “Netanyahu and his murder network,” comparing the Israeli prime minister to Nazi Germany’s Adolf Hitler.

“Just as Hitler was stopped by the alliance of humanity 70 years ago, Netanyahu and his murder network must be stopped by the alliance of humanity,” Erdogan said. 

“Not only children are dying in Gaza; the United Nations system is also dying, the truth is dying, the values that the West claims to defend are dying, the hopes of humanity to live in a fairer world are dying one by one,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Erdogan condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, where local health authority figures show that more than 41,000 people have been killed since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, following the militant group’s deadly terror attacks in Israel.  

He called for world leaders to stop Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pursuit of the war, and criticized countries who support his government.  

“I call out to United Nations Security Council, what are you waiting for to prevent the genocide in Gaza, to put a stop to this cruelty, this barbarianism?” he said.