President Erdogan Calls Escalation In Gaza Not War But Mass Murder

JAKARTA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the escalation that occurred in the Middle East was mass murder, not war.

"The use of a force disproportionate to the Gaza Strip, without any moral basis, could put Israel at an unwanted position globally," President Erdogan said in a speech to Turkish lawmakers broadcast on local TV channels.

"This conflict, which is carried out with despicable tactics, is not a war, but a mass murder," said President Erdogan.

President Erdogan has previously said Turkey is ready to mediate between Israel and Palestine to ensure calm.

Earlier, Pope Francis said on Wednesday, "terrorism and extremism did not help achieve conflict solutions between Israel and Palestine, but sparked hatred, violence, revenge and caused suffering for both sides".

"The Middle East does not need war, but peace, peace built on the basis of justice, dialogue and courage to become brotherhood," said Pope Francis.

It is known that the Palestinian militant Hamas attack on Saturday last week on Israeli territory sparked attacking each other on both sides which left two thousand dead and thousands injured, while hundreds were held hostage.

The Israeli military said the country's death toll had reached 1,200 on Wednesday and more than 2,700 people were injured.

Meanwhile, Gaza's Ministry of Health said at least 950 people were killed and 5,000 others injured in the densely populated coastal area.