Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated at a joint press conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during his visit to Malaysia on Tuesday that "Israel" must end its occupation of Palestinian territories and provide compensation for the harm it has caused.

Erdogan emphasized that establishing an independent, sovereign Palestine with geographically integrated borders based on 1967 boundaries, and "East Jerusalem" as its capital, is "essential".

Regarding aid to Gaza, Erdogan expressed confidence that "we can handle this" if all ASEAN members collaborate.

Mobilizing ASEAN for Gaza's construction

Anwar, on his part, praised Turkiye’s leadership on the Gaza issue, noting that no other country has provided as much humanitarian assistance as Turkiye. He also mentioned plans to mobilize ASEAN for Gaza's reconstruction under Malaysia's rotating presidency.

On the matter of a ceasefire in Gaza, Anwar criticized "Israel’s aggressive and expansionist" policies and questioned the prospects for progress, as "Israel" has yet to withdraw from the Palestinian enclave.

On trade, Erdogan revealed that Turkiye and Malaysia have agreed to raise their bilateral trade target from $5 billion to $10 billion.

It is worth noting that international donors are assessing the immense Israeli destruction in the densely populated territory and considering future reconstruction efforts, as highlighted in a recent report by The Times.

The scale of devastation is staggering: the Israeli aggression, which Gaza's Health Ministry reports has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, has left behind more than 50.8 million tonnes of rubble—surpassing the debris from the war in Ukraine and amounting to 17 times the combined total of debris from all wars since 2008.

Clearing this debris alone is projected to cost $970,945,431, while the overall reconstruction is estimated to require up to $80 billion.

Read more: Gaza lying in ruins: 14-year path to recovery amid mass displacement