Israel tries to cover up crimes by targeting Turkish President Erdoğan: Official

Israeli officials tries to cover up crimes in its ongoing war against the Gaza Strip by targeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a spokesman of Türkiye's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party said Thursday.

"Delusions of the Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu of the bloody-handed Israeli Administration and (Foreign) Minister Eli Cohen targeting Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are an attempt to cover up their crimes for which they will one day be held accountable," Ömer Çelik wrote on X.

He said Israel was involved in crimes that left a "black mark on human history" by destroying mosques, churches and hospitals while noting that the Israeli administration massacred thousands of civilians, including women and children.

"Our president follows a policy that upholds human dignity and resolutely defends human values. Netanyahu and his peers are followers of the politics of massacre," he added.

On Wednesday, Türkiye rejected the "unfounded slander" by Netanyahu against Erdoğan and said Israeli officials have "no right to talk about the law."

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, on Oct. 7.

At least 11,500 Palestinians have since been killed, including more than 7,800 women and children, and more than 29,200 injured, according to the latest figures from Palestinian authorities.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel's relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.