'If We Do Not Learn From This Tragedy, This Will Not Be Last Gaza War': Turkish Foreign Minister

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER

By Omer Erdem and Halime Afra Aksoy

ISTANBUL (AA) — Failing to draw lessons from the ongoing tragedy in the Gaza Strip risks opening the way for more conflict in the Palestinian enclave, Türkiye's foreign minister warned on Sunday.

"If we do not learn from this tragedy and pursue a two-state solution to the crisis, this will not be the last Gaza war. Other wars and more tears will await us," Hakan Fidan said in an interview with Saudi state-owned news broadcaster Al-Arabiya.

"We need to urge Israel to accept the 1967 borders. All Palestinians, not just Hamas, agree to establishment of Palestinian state based on 1967 borders," Fidan told the Riyadh-based channel.

"Israel continues to steal land. And it uses Hamas as an excuse to hide it. It tells everyone, 'Look at Gaza!' Meanwhile, it continues to steal land in the West Bank. The international community must wake up and see this hypocrisy," said Fidan.

He said Türkiye's priority is to secure a cease-fire in Gaza, adding that it is in close contact with Qatar on the matter.

"On the one hand, we are trying to ensure the entry of humanitarian aid, and on the other hand, we are trying to mobilize the international system for a two-state solution, which we see as a strategic and lasting solution," Fidan said.

Voicing support for efforts by Egypt and Qatar to secure a cease-fire, he said that the lack of results so far does not mean the negotiation process has failed.

"We have to recognize that this is a difficult issue," he said, adding that Israel has been showing reluctance to reach an agreement or compromise.

Underlining that Türkiye has been providing all possible support to the Palestinian side, including Hamas, he said Ankara has expressed "readiness to offer positive and constructive contributions to the negotiations."

Fidan called on the international community to take action for a cease-fire and two-state solution, saying: "As Türkiye, we have focused our efforts on these two issues in particular."

"In essence, Israel is constantly using Hamas as a bogeyman to hide its own purpose and intentions. It presents Hamas to the international community as a radical, irrational organization that is unwilling to negotiate. By doing so, Israel is trying to hide its real goals and intentions from the public," said Fidan.

On the matter of Israeli hostages being held in the Gaza Strip, Fidan said this "is a humanitarian situation."

"We are very sensitive about this issue. Our president (Recep Tayyip Erdogan) is very sensitive about the requests he has received regarding the hostages. He has instructed both our intelligence services and us (Foreign Ministry) to carry out the necessary work," he said.

"We have contacts with Israel on this issue. We convey requests from the Israelis and even from other countries to Hamas. In other words, our contacts continue, especially regarding the release of hostages," he added.

Fidan warned that tensions between regional rivals Iran and Israel could boil over into larger war. "While the situation appears calm for now, this potential always exists," Fidan cautioned.

Israel has waged a brutal military offensive on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a cross-border attack led by resistance group Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people.

Nearly 34,700 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and 78,000 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Nearly seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave's population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara -