Turkish communications chief condemns Israel's attack on aid workers in Gaza

ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun on Thursday condemned Israel’s attack on five aid workers from an Istanbul based international humanitarian organization in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement on X, Altun expressed his sorrow over the deaths of volunteers from an international humanitarian organization IHH working with the UN World Food Program (WFP), who were killed in Israeli airstrikes while delivering aid to the people of Gaza.

Highlighting Israel’s ongoing systematic attacks in Gaza targeting the young, elderly, women, and children indiscriminately, Altun described the Israeli administration’s actions as acts of terror amounting to genocide, and noted the Israeli strikes on aid workers striving to support the besieged population.

“We condemn in the strongest terms this cruelty that dooms innocent people to hunger and thirst with an inhuman understanding, and we invite humanity to raise a louder voice and take more concrete steps against this atrocity,” he said.

Altun added that Türkiye will continue to work with full capacity within the international community to stop the flow of innocent blood, and increase efforts to hold the perpetrators of Israeli terror accountable under international law.

On Wednesday, five aid workers from an international humanitarian organization IHH working with the WFP were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, and two others were seriously injured.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a devastating offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing over 54,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million population.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.