We express our full solidarity with Palestine. The war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Palestine is a challenge to democracy in the world, the head of Turkish diplomacy declared at a ministerial meeting of the Islamic Group of Eight (D-8) in Istanbul.

There is no alternative to the recognition of an independent Palestine. We must accept different positions that previously lacked approval on that issue, but our job is to ensure an uninterrupted and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, he said.

In addition, we will advocate an immediate cessation of hostilities, Fidan declared, after Israeli forces bombarded Gaza since October 7, with a death toll of more than 36,000 people, including more than 15,000 children, according to Palestinian sources.

Israel, he assured, always manipulated and rejected the efforts to reach a cease-fire in the narrow coastal strip, where more than 2.3 million people live.

Stopping Israel’s violence is a duty of all humanity and that state must be held accountable for the war crimes committed, the Turkish Foreign Minister stressed.

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