Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan affirmed on Wednesday that the Gaza Strip has not only witnessed genocide but also comprehensive environmental destruction affecting trees and stones, emphasizing the need to lift the blockade and allow immediate entry of humanitarian aid.
In a speech at the opening ceremony of the leaders' summit within the United Nations Climate Conference 'COP 31', held in the southern Turkish state of Antalya, he said: "Gaza has not only witnessed genocide, but also comprehensive environmental destruction, with ancient olive trees cut down, soil and water polluted, and cities turned into massive piles of rubble."
He added that "showing strength at the expense of the suffering of Gaza's children is nothing but proof of weakness and incompetence, and above all, a lack of conscience."
He stressed "the necessity of allowing immediate entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza, ending the blockade, and putting an end to this injustice and brutality."
He continued: "Hundreds of thousands of our brothers and sisters in Gaza, who find no shelter to protect them, especially innocent children shivering from the cold, are fighting for survival amid water and under harsh winter conditions, often without their fathers and mothers."
Erdogan pointed out that in recent days they have once again received heart-wrenching news from Gaza, where the destruction of infrastructure, in conjunction with heavy rains and floods, has led to the inundation of tens of thousands of tents and shelters with water.
