'Israel' holding 10,000 Palestinians hostage, Erdogan says
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the Israeli occupation is holding 10,000 Palestinians hostage and calls for their release.
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Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz talk to the media at a press conference at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, November 17, 2023 (AP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Germany to take immediate action regarding the Israeli occupation taking approximately 10,000 Palestinians hostage.
Speaking at the Turkish Student Association's council on Saturday, Erdogan asserted that despite Ankara's appeals, Germany had not shown any willingness to address the detention of some 10,000 Palestinian citizens in Israeli prisons during his meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Friday.
"Israel is holding about 10,000 Palestinians hostage. Let Germany take steps to free these people, and then we will make efforts to free those held by Hamas. But they [Germany] did not agree to this," Erdogan emphasized in his speech.
This comes as the families of Israeli captives, along with thousands of supporters, marched towards al-Quds on Friday, intensifying pressure on the government to secure the release of the captives. This comes nearly six weeks after the launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
The protest started in 'Tel Aviv' three days ago. As the settlers started ascending the foothills toward al-Quds, the police blocked off sections of the main highway.
They held photos of their captured family and friends, waved Israeli flags, and echoed chants of "We won't relent; we demand the release of the hostages!"
Read next: Israeli captives to be released on Hamas conditions: Haniyeh
Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas Resistance movement, said Friday that it transported several Israeli captives to care centers due to their dire health condition after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the captives were in Gaza's hospitals.
The Resistance disputed Netanyahu's claims because the Israeli occupation forces have been using the false pretext that the Palestinian Resistance is keeping captives in hospitals and even using them to store military equipment to give legitimacy to their attacks and stifling sieges of hospitals in Gaza.
The Al-Qassam Brigades underlined that Israeli captive Aryeh Zalman Zedmanovich, whose ID number is 0010185791, was recently taken to a care center because of the habitual panic attacks he would suffer due to the repeated Israeli bombings where he was being held captive.
Demonstrations took over "Tel Aviv", on Tuesday, as families of the Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip took to the streets, escalating pressure on the government of Israeli occupation government's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding answers amid conflicting news regarding a possible exchange deal with the Palestinian Resistance, mediated by Egypt and Qatar and with a US blessing.
The settlers protesting Netanyahu's government, carrying pictures of their children who are being held captive in the Strip, demanded "Netanyahu and the government give us answers and measures," stressing that they "no longer have the strength."
Another Israeli settler underscored, "We do not have time to wait any longer. Every day that passes puts the lives of the prisoners in danger."
There is enough proof to prosecute 'Israel' at ICC
There is enough proof of Israeli atrocities to take Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Erdogan said.
"There is enough evidence that allows for the prosecution of the Israeli administration by the International Criminal Court," Erdogan told reporters upon his return from Berlin.
Erdogan went on to predict the end of Netanyahu's political career, asserting that the Israeli Prime Minister was pushing his country and the world to pay a high price. Describing Netanyahu as a "far-right politician," Erdogan expressed confidence that the Israeli occupation would soon rid itself of the leader.
"Now everyone is funneling weapons and money to him, but this situation is making the countries that support him pay," Erdogan remarked, referring to the ongoing Israeli-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Highlighting what he perceived as a double standard, Erdogan claimed that if a Muslim country had committed acts similar to the "war crimes committed by Israel," there would be no need to advocate for international legal protection, as the process would have been initiated automatically.
Erdogan's Justice and Development Party had already taken a significant step last week by filing a lawsuit against Netanyahu with the ICC. The lawsuit accuses Netanyahu of having committed "genocide" and other crimes against humanity during the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Erdogan confirmed to reporters on November 4 that Turkey is no longer considering Netanyahu as its "interlocutor", but the head of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization, Ibrahim Kalin, remains in contact with "Israel".
Attorney Metin Kulunk posted on X: "Today... we have filed a lawsuit with the International Criminal Court in The Hague against the Hitler of the 21st century of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who must stand trial for the genocide he committed in the Gaza Strip and all crimes against humanity."
Kulunk revealed the first of the lawsuit's twenty-three pages and explained that, together with two other attorneys, he filed the case through the Turkish Ministry of Justice, which would forward the file to the International Criminal Court.
On Sunday, Erdogan slammed the United Nations and its Security Council, deeming them ineffective in addressing the mounting humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Erdogan called for a reform of the UN's permanent membership and veto systems, expressing dissatisfaction with the current structure where one member's incorrect actions can hinder meaningful outcomes.
He accused the UN of disregarding the suffering of Gazans and emphasized the need for a more equitable system that doesn't leave the fate of the world in the hands of a few countries with veto power.
"The UN has become ineffective. That is to say, even the UN Security Council cannot achieve any results. If one Council member acts incorrectly then nothing happens," he said.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Erdogan stated that any agreement between Turkey and the United States regarding the Gaza Strip is impossible if Washington considers it part of Israeli territory. He stressed that Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people, and the US must recognize this for any agreement to be feasible.
