– Qatar holds ‘Israel alone’ responsible for escalation
• We’ll continue to oppose threats against Al-Aqsa – Erdogan
Turkiye and Qatar have called on Israelis and Palestinians to act with restraint as the Palestine-Israel crisis escalated into a full blown war.
Al Jazeera on Saturday quoted medical sources in Gaza, claiming that at least 198 Palestinians have been martyred in Israeli air attacks launched after a Hamas offensive against Israel that killed at least 40.
The group running the besieged enclave said its surprise, large-scale operation was in response to the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence.
“We call on the parties to act with restraint in light of the events in Israel this morning and to stay away from impulsive steps that will escalate tensions,” Erdogan said at the Justice and Development (AK) Party’s 4th extraordinary congress in the capital Ankara.
Turkiye will continue to oppose any attempt against the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Erdogan added.
His remarks came after Palestinian resistance group in the Gaza Strip, Hamas fired an intense barrage of rockets early Saturday toward Israel.
Qatar’s foreign ministry issued a similar statement on Saturday saying that Israel alone was responsible for the ongoing escalation of violence with the Palestinian people.
It said Qatar calls on both sides to exercise utmost restraint and calls on the international community to prevent Israel from using these events as an excuse to launch a disproportionate war against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
