Ankara, 14 May 2021 (Anadolu News)

Turkey’s president has intensified diplomatic efforts in a bid to end the Israeli onslaught on Gaza which has killed at least 119 Palestinians, including 31 children and 19 women.

As Turkey continues its efforts to rally support from all relevant institutions, chiefly the United Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to support Palestine, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held phone talks with the leaders of nearly 20 nations, including Palestine, Russia, Pakistan, Kuwait and Algeria.

He urged the leaders to take a united stance against Israeli raids and attacks on Palestinians in Gaza, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem.

Erdogan first got in touch with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas’ political chief Ismael Haniyeh.

In contacts made since May 8, Erdogan has discussed the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Jordan’s King Abdullah II among others.

Erdogan also spoke with Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Malaysia’s King Al-Sultan Abdullah, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan.

He continued his diplomacy traffic with President of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ersin Tatar, Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov, Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani, Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, Libya’s Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, Oman’s Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq and Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad.

Describing the attacks as “terrorism,” Erdogan condemned the atrocities against Palestinian Muslims.

Erdogan reiterated Turkey’s support for the Palestinian cause and the sanctity of Jerusalem.

He stressed the need for the UN Security Council to intervene before the crisis escalates further and efforts to send an international peacekeeping force in the region.

Moreover, the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs organized an emergency meeting on Jerusalem upon the directives of Erdogan.

Ongoing Israeli attacks have killed 119 Palestinians so far, including 31 children and at least 19 women, according to Palestinian health officials. Over 620 others have been injured, in addition to heavy damages to residential buildings across the enclave.

Besides that, Israel detained hundreds of Palestinians in recent days.

Tensions have been running high in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem over the past month as Israeli settlers swarmed in following a court order for the eviction of Palestinian families in the area.

Most recently, tensions further escalated, moving from East Jerusalem to Gaza after Palestinian resistance groups there vowed to retaliate against Israeli assaults on Al-Aqsa Mosque and Sheikh Jarrah if they were not halted.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed the entire city in 1980 — a move that has never been recognized by the international community.