Madrid, (15 June 2024) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has commended Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for his firm stance on the ongoing crisis in Gaza. Speaking at a business forum in Madrid on Thursday, Erdogan remarked that Sanchez's position has endeared him to the Palestinian people.

"I congratulate my dear friend Pedro Sánchez for his position on Gaza, on behalf of me and my nation," Erdogan said. "He has a deep place in the hearts of our Palestinian brothers."

President Erdogan's visit to Spain includes attending the eighth international summit between Turkey and Spain. During the forum, attended by Prime Minister Sanchez, Erdogan expressed deep concern over the ongoing violence in Gaza, describing the situation as a genocide that has been continuing for 250 days and causing widespread suffering.

"The genocide that has been going on in Gaza for 250 days has hurt everyone's conscience," Erdogan stated. He criticized Israel's actions as "destructive" and called for an immediate cessation of violence. "We sincerely want the country's government under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the bloodshed and respond to the call for a ceasefire as soon as possible."

Erdogan highlighted the response of Gaza's ruling group, Hamas, which has agreed to a ceasefire, contrasting this with Israel's continued military operations against Palestinians. The death toll in Gaza continues to rise, with significant numbers of women and children among the casualties.

"No sane country can accept this," Erdogan emphasized.

According to health authorities in Gaza, the conflict has resulted in 37,236 Palestinian deaths, with approximately 85,000 injured. The war has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, leaving much of Gaza in ruins.