Erdogan: Gaza Suffered Not Only Genocide but Comprehensive Environmental Destruction Affecting Trees and Stones

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that the Gaza Strip has not only witnessed genocide but also suffered comprehensive environmental destruction affecting both flora and infrastructure, stressing the urgent need to lift the blockade and allow immediate entry of humanitarian aid.

The Turkish Anadolu Agency reported that Erdogan, in a speech delivered during the opening ceremony of the Leaders’ Summit at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) held in Antalya, southern Turkey, said, “Gaza has not only experienced genocide; it has also endured widespread environmental devastation, with centuries-old olive trees cut down, soil and water contaminated, and cities reduced to massive piles of rubble.”

He added that “showcasing power at the expense of the suffering of Gaza’s children is merely a sign of weakness and impotence, and above all, a lack of conscience.”

He continued, “Hundreds of thousands of our brothers and sisters in Gaza, who have no shelter, especially innocent children shivering from the cold, are fighting for survival amid floodwaters and harsh winter conditions, often without their fathers and mothers.”

Erdogan noted that they had again received “disturbing news from Gaza in recent days, where the destruction of infrastructure, combined with heavy rains and flooding, has submerged tens of thousands of tents and shelters in water.”