Turkey's Erdogan to Merz: does Germany not see Israeli 'genocide' in Gaza?

By Andreas Rinke and Tuvan Gumrukcu

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan criticised Germany over what he said was its ignorance of Israel's "genocide" and attacks in Gaza, at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday.

The open public friction between NATO allies emerged on Merz's first visit to Turkey since taking office.

Merz said his government had stood by Israel since the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas and that he believes Israel was exercising its right to self-defence.

"It would have taken only one decision to avoid countless unnecessary casualties. Hamas should have released the hostages earlier and laid down its arms," he said, adding he hoped the war was coming to an end with the U.S.-brokered and Turkey-backed ceasefire deal.

ERDOGAN SAYS ISRAEL SOUGHT SUPPRESSION THROUGH GENOCIDE

Erdogan, among the most vocal critics of Israel's assault on Gaza and a key player in the ceasefire talks, said he could not agree with Merz.

"Hamas does not have bombs (or) nuclear arms but Israel has all of these and uses these weapons to hit Gaza, for example with those bombs again last night," Erdogan said.

"Do you, as Germany, not see these? Do you, as Germany, not follow these? Besides hitting Gaza, (Israel) has always sought to suppress it through famine and genocide," he said.

A U.N. inquiry determined that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, arguing that its killings, siege and destruction were carried out with the intent to destroy Palestinian life in the enclave. Multiple Israeli and international rights groups reached the same conclusion.

Israel rejects genocide allegations as politically motivated and says its military campaign targets Hamas, not Gaza's civilian population. It says it takes steps to minimise civilian harm.

Merz has criticised Israeli actions in Gaza and this year Germany suspended military exports there, citing the deteriorating humanitarian situation.

He has stopped short of backing accusations of genocide, however, arguing that criticism of Israel must not become a pretext for antisemitism.

Erdogan said he still believed Germany and Turkey could collaborate to end famine by ensuring aid delivery to Gaza.

He also pointed to the potential for NATO allies to focus on joint projects in the defence industry, and reiterated Ankara's wish to join the European Union.

Merz said he saw Turkey as a close partner to the EU, that he wanted to develop bilateral economic relations, including in the transport sector and migration.