Tens of thousands of people demonstrate in Turkey to protest the Israeli bombings in Gaza. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to speak during the demonstration.
Political sources told Reuters that Erdogan's planned speech in Istanbul was intended to reinforce his growing criticism of Israeli bombings of Gaza.
Assassination of the commander of the naval force of the Gaza Brigade in Hamas // Credit: IDF Spokesperson
While Turkey condemned Hamas' massacre of Israeli civilians, Erdogan this week referred to terrorism as an organization of "freedom fighters." He also criticized the unconditional support of some Western countries for Jerusalem, drawing strong reactions from Italy and Israel.
Unlike many allies of NATO, the European Union and some Gulf states, Turkey does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization and has in fact hosted its leaders more than once.
Thousands of Turks demonstrate against Israel and for Gaza, photo: Reuters
Sinan Oljan, a former Turkish diplomat and director of the Center for Economic and Foreign Policy Research, an Istanbul-based think tank, told Reuters that Gaza's worsening humanitarian crisis and pressure from political allies prompted Erdogan to sharpen his rhetoric.
"Turkey will defend its principles and share them with the international community, but it needs to do so with gentler diplomacy if it expects to play such a (future) diplomatic role," Ulgan said.
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