Turkey announced it is temporarily halting plans on joint energy explorations with the Israeli entity in the Mediterranean Sea and gas exports to Europe via the country, Bloomberg said on Wednesday citing sources informed on the matter.

This comes as ties between the two parties are witnessing a period of tensions over the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza that has entered its 19th day.

Earlier today, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Ankara does not see Hamas as a terrorist organization, rather it considers it a "Liberation group defending its country and people."

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He also expressed strong criticism of Western powers for their endorsement of the Israeli massacres in Gaza, labeling their sympathies as "Western tears shed for Israel are a manifestation of fraud."

Erdogan further revealed Ankara's feelings of betrayal by "Israel," accusing it of exploiting Turkey’s positive intentions. He also announced the cancellation of his scheduled trip to "Tel Aviv" due to the ongoing aggression on Gaza.

The Israeli foreign ministry slammed Erdogan's statement and said that his words would not change "the horrors that the world has seen," despite the fact that the Israeli entity has not yet provided any proof to confirm its previous claims on the Resistance's actions when first entering the settlements.

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Ankara expedited efforts in recent years, more so following the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis caused by Western sanctions on Russia, to establish itself as an energy hub and exporter connecting the three continents: Asia, Europe, and Africa.

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Relations between Turkey and the Israeli occupation entity had hit a low after Israeli forces raided a Turkish flotilla - Gaza Freedom Flotilla - headed to the Strip in 2010. As a result of the Israeli military attack, 9 activists were killed.

However, in recent years, and as Turkey's economy struggled with skyrocketing inflation, Ankara made a policy shift and moved to develop better ties with "Tel Aviv" and Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia. These efforts resulted in restoring full diplomatic ties with "Israel" in 2022 and officialy exchangin ambassadors earlier this year.

In March 2022, Israeli President Isaac Herzog requested during a meeting with Erdogan to launch a gas pipeline project from gas wells in the Mediterranean through Turkey to deliver gas to Europe. The project was also supported by the United States.

Massacres in Gaza continue

The Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip is nearing its 3rd consecutive week with ongoing artillery and aerial bombardments, mainly targeting residential homes.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip reported on Wednesday that the number of martyrs has risen to 6,546, including 2,704 children, 1,584 women, and 364 elderly individuals. In addition, 17,439 citizens have been injured with various degrees of injuries reported since October 7.

The Ministry also said that the Israeli occupation committed 44 massacres in the past few hours, resulting in 756 martyrs, including 344 children, and 1,142 injuries.

The genocidal policy against Palestinians coupled with the deafening silence of the international community that now proves to be complicit in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians holds thousands of people in Gaza hostages of the debris that fell on their heads.