Erdogan seeks Gaza cease-fire to halt 'crimes against humanity'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday called for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, saying "crimes against humanity" were being committed in Gaza.

Erdogan has strongly supported the Palestinians in the face of Israel's war with Hamas, attending pro-Palestinian rallies and positioning himself as a mediator since the war began on Oct. 7.

"There is no concept that could explain or excuse the brutality that we have witnessed since Oct. 7," Erdogan said during a summit of Turkic States in the Kazakh capital Astana.

"To put it bluntly: crimes against humanity have been committed in Gaza for exactly 28 days," he said.

"Our priority is to establish a humanitarian ceasefire quickly," he said, adding that Turkey was working on "new mechanisms that will guarantee the security of everyone, regardless of whether they are Muslims, Christians or Jews.

"Our efforts to lay the groundwork for an international peace conference continue," he said, without elaborating.

Israel has relentlessly bombarded Gaza since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants broke through the territory into Israel, killing 1,400 people and kidnapping more than 240, Israeli officials say.

The Health Ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza strip has said 9,061 people have been killed during subsequent strikes in the Palestinian territory, including 3,760 children.

Israel has said it is not targeting civilians and that it is trying to rout out and destroy the Hamas militant group responsible for the Oct. 7 attacks.