
As the Israel-Hamas war rages on, the Turkish foreign ministry said on Saturday (Nov 4) that it decided to call its ambassador from Israel to Ankara for consultations. In a statement, the foreign ministry said the decision to recall Sakir Özkan Torunlar was taken due to Israel's refusal of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and also its refusal for continuous and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid.
"In view of the unfolding humanitarian tragedy in Gaza caused by the continuing attacks by Israel against civilians, and Israel’s refusal of calls for a ceasefire and continuous and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid, it was decided to recall our Ambassador in Tel Aviv, H.E. Mr. Şakir Özkan Torunlar, to Ankara for consultations," the statement said.
Click here to follow LIVE updates on the Israel-Hamas war
Since Hamas launched an unprecedented attack against Israel on October 7 and Israel responded by pounding the Gaza Strip, Turkey has sharply escalated its criticism of Tel Aviv as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza intensified.
Israel has already withdrawn all its diplomats from Turkey and other regional countries as a security precaution.
Last weekend, the Israeli foreign ministry said it was "re-evaluating" its relations with Ankara because of Turkey's increasingly heated rhetoric about the Israel-Hamas war.
Earlier on Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his government will bring Israeli war crimes to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“I said something in my speech at the Palestine Rally. I announced that we would support initiatives that would bring Israel’s human rights violations and war crimes to the International Criminal Court. Our relevant authorities, especially our Foreign Ministry, will carry out this work," President Erdogan told reporters.
Netanyahu also said that he held Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally responsible for the growing civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip. "Netanyahu is no longer someone we can talk to. We have written him off," he added.
However, the Turkish president said that Ankara was not fully breaking off diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv. "Completely severing ties is not possible, especially in international diplomacy," Erdogan said.