Turkey denies Israel’s claims about arming Hamas as ‘lies’

The angry rebuttal came after Israel’s Foreign Minister Katz accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of “supplying arms and money to Hamas to kill Israelis”.

In a post on X in Turkish, Katz claimed that Israeli security services had dismantled “terrorist cells” that were “under directions from Hamas headquarters in Turkey”.

In response, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry announced that Israel’s top diplomat was “trying to conceal the crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinians behind a series of lies, slander and disrespect”.

“But Israel’s dirty propaganda and psychological pressure aimed at our country and our president will remain ineffective,” the ministry’s statement added.

Erdogan on Sunday stated Israel must face punishment for its actions to deter anyone “from considering such cruelty again”.

“Israel must face the consequences of its actions, ensuring that the punishment serves as a stark deterrent against anyone considering such cruelty again,” Erdogan was quoted as saying on Sunday.

The Turkish president urged the United States to exert pressure on Israel to end the “oppression” in Gaza.

“To end this oppression, it is necessary for the US administration to pressure Israel and withdraw its support from murderer Netanyahu and his associates,” Erdogan added.

Turkey has repeatedly condemned Israel’s assault on Gaza and criticized Western governments for their continued backing of the Zionist regime. Ankara halted trade with Tel Aviv soon after the war began last October.