Turkey announced, on Saturday, that it had summoned its ambassador to Israel for consultations against the backdrop of Israel's refusal to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it was summoning Ambassador Şakir Ozkan Turunlar "in light of the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Gaza due to the ongoing Israeli attacks against civilians and Israel's refusal to ceasefire."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced earlier, on Saturday, that he would cut off contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in light of what Israeli forces have committed in the Gaza Strip since October 7.

Turkish media quoted Erdogan as saying, "Netanyahu is no longer someone we can talk to."

The ambassador's summoning, and Erdogan's comments, came a week after Israel announced a "re-evaluation" of relations with Ankara after statements made by the Turkish President that included sharp criticism of the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

Israel had previously withdrawn all its diplomats from Turkey and other countries in the region as a security measure.

The population of the Gaza Strip, numbering 2.4 million people, is living in a catastrophic humanitarian situation under the violent bombardment carried out by Israel, threatening to "eliminate" the Hamas movement after the attacks it carried out that left nearly 1,400 dead inside the territory of the Hebrew state, the majority of whom were civilians who died on the first day of the attacks, according to Israel.

The death toll from the Israeli bombing in the Gaza Strip exceeded 9,488 deaths, including 3,900 children and 2,509 women, according to a new toll issued by the health authorities in Gaza on Saturday.

Turkey will not break ties

Erdogan confirmed on Saturday that Turkey would not sever its diplomatic relations with Israel, explaining, “Complete severing of relations is not possible, especially in international diplomacy.”

He pointed out that the head of the National Intelligence Service, Ibrahim Kalin, is supervising Turkish efforts to try to mediate an end to the war between Israel and Hamas.

"Ibrahim Kalin is talking with the Israeli side. Of course, he is also negotiating with Palestine and Hamas," Erdogan said.

Turkish President Netanyahu held the primary responsibility for the violence in Gaza and said that he had "lost the support of his citizens."

AFP