Türkiye Will Not Discuss Energy Projects with Israel Without a Ceasefire in Gaza

Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar. (Twitter/@aBayraktar1)

JAKARTA - Turkey will not discuss any energy-related projects with Israel, as the country's leader reiterated that there will be no ceasefire in the crisis in Gaza, Palestine.

A senior Turkish official said such discussions today do not respect Palestinians who have experienced brutality.

"In an atmosphere like this, amidst brutality and such a huge humanitarian drama, there will be no respect for humanity, our humanity, our brothers there (in Palestine) if we talk about any project," said the Minister of Energy and Resources. Daya Alam Alparslan Bayraktar, reported by Daily Sabah, November 9.

"The only thing we will talk about now is how we can meet Gaza's electricity, water, and food needs. This could happen. It would be the only project," he continued.

Israel is known to have carried out a blockade and attacks from land, sea, and air on the Gaza Strip, following the attack by the Hamas militant group on October 7.

"After the huge brutality and atrocities experienced there, the only project we can talk about now is how we can restore electricity in Gaza," Bayraktar said.

"We have sent the generator. They are waiting at the Rafah border crossing," he added.

"We are considering how we can contribute there through floating power plants and mobile power plants, which we call power ships," he stressed, underscoring that it was impossible to talk about anything without a ceasefire.

Separately, although calls for a ceasefire in Gaza continue to be voiced by the international community, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that there will be no such thing until the hostages are released.

"There will be no ceasefire without the return of the kidnapped hostages," said PM Netanyahu, quoted by The Times of Israel.

He also said no fuel would be allowed into the Gaza Strip, before the hostages were freed, adding the ground operation was an important part of efforts to bring the hostages home.

It is known that around 1,400 people were killed and 240 others were taken hostage as a result of Hamas attacks on the southern region of Israel.

Citing Reuters and Xinhua, at least 10,569 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 7, the Gaza-based Palestinian Ministry of Health said on Wednesday.

Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qedra said the dead included 4,324 children, adding that more than 26,000 people were injured.

He also asked the international community to protect the Palestinian people from Israeli attacks, because most of the victims were children