Erdogan condemns Israel over Gaza and West Bank in UN speech as delegation walks out

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York to sharply criticise Israel's conduct in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The speech prompted the Israeli delegation to walk out, while Palestinian representatives applauded. Erdogan said the United Nations had failed to meet its obligations on peace and security, turning the address into a wider attack on the international body's handling of conflict zones.

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Erdogan said that, despite what he described as a ceasefire effort backed with support from US President Donald Trump, more than 1,300 civilians had been killed in Gaza. He said Hamas and other Palestinian groups had accepted the second phase of the October ceasefire framework, but argued that Israel was not ending its actions in Gaza. He also said the West Bank was facing its most difficult period because of illegal Israeli settlers occupying the area.

In one of the most forceful lines of the speech, Erdogan described Gaza as "the most inhumane, most shameful concentration camp of our time". He accused Israel of acting with a "genocidal mindset" and said no one with humanity, mercy or conscience could ignore the situation. He also said the United Nations had been forced into dysfunction and was "bleeding out" in Palestine, Lebanon and Sudan, broadening his criticism beyond the immediate conflict.

The intervention matters because it came during a high-level diplomatic gathering where leaders are seeking to shape international positions on the war in Gaza and the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Erdogan's remarks also highlighted the continuing dispute over the role of the United Nations in preventing and responding to violence. His comments on the West Bank and Gaza added to pressure on Israel at a moment when ceasefire claims remain contested and civilian casualties continue to be central to the debate.

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Erdogan also referred to the absence of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from the meeting of world leaders after the United States denied him a visa to enter the country, the second such denial in two years. He said Turkey would continue to speak for a free and sovereign state of Palestine in Abbas's absence. The speech also touched on Russia's war in Ukraine, with Erdogan saying the conflict should end while Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty are preserved.

What remains unclear is whether the remarks will affect diplomatic efforts around the ceasefire framework or wider UN discussions on the conflict. The immediate reaction in the chamber showed the sensitivity of the issue, but it is not yet clear whether the speech will lead to any formal response from Israel or other delegations. The next developments to watch are any follow-up statements from the Turkish, Israeli and Palestinian sides, and whether the UN debate produces any new diplomatic movement on Gaza or the West Bank.

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