Death Toll In Gaza And Lebanon Continues To Rise, Erdogan Expects Trump To Order Israel To Stop War

President Erdogan with Donald Trump (Wikimedia Commons/The White House)

JAKARTA - United States President-elect Donald Trump is expected to order Israel to stop the war, as casualties in Palestine and Lebanon continue to grow.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, showing a good start by stopping US weapons support for Israel.

"Trump has promised to end the conflict. We want the promise fulfilled and Israel ordered to'stop'," President Erdogan told reporters on a return flight from Budapest, according to an official statement.

"Trump halted the weapons support given to Israel could be a good start to stop Israeli aggression in Palestinian and Lebanese territory," he said.

Turkey has strongly criticized Israeli attacks on Palestinian territories in Gaza and Lebanon, halted trade with Israel and submitted a request to join a genocide case against Israel in the World Court. Israel firmly denies the allegations of genocide.

Trump, who is paired with Republican JD Vance, won the presidential election on Tuesday, ahead of rivals from the Democratic Party, incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris and Team Walz, after winning more than 270 electoral votes, a minimum limit to winning the contest, although there has been no official announcement.

Trump's leadership will have a serious impact on political and military balances in the Middle East region, President Erdogan said, adding that implementing the current US policy would deepen deadlocks in the region and spread conflict.

Separately, a medical source in Gaza on Friday said Palestinian death toll since the latest conflict broke out on October 7, 2023, had reached 43,508, while about 102,684 others were injured, the majority were children and women, quoted from WAFA.

While quoted from Anadolu, the death toll in Lebanon since last year has reached 3,050 people, the local health ministry said, adding that 13,658 injured victims had reached.

Israel has launched a massive air campaign in Lebanon since late September against what it claims is Hezbollah's target, having been involved in cross-border attacks over the past year.

Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel's southern region the day after the conflict in Gaza broke out, declaring solidarity with Hamas. Israel expanded its conflict by launching a ground attack on southern Lebanon on October 1 this year.