Türkiye said Saturday (November 4) that it was recalling its ambassador to Israel and cutting ties with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in protest of the violence in Gaza, news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. It is to be noted that Ankara announced its decision on the eve of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's difficult visit to Türkiye .
According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Sakir Ozkan Torunlar has been summoned for consultations "in light of the unfolding humanitarian tragedy in Gaza caused by Israel's continuing attacks against civilians, and Israel's refusal (to accept) a ceasefire," as reported by AFP.
Israeli forces have encircled Gaza's largest city, attempting to crush Hamas in retaliation for raids into Israel on October 7 that officials say killed around 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and took 240 people hostage, according to AFP.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, nearly 9,500 people have been killed in Israeli strikes and the intensifying ground campaign since then, mostly women and children.
According to AFP, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters separately that he held Netanyahu personally responsible for the rising number of civilian deaths in Gaza.
"Netanyahu is no longer a person with whom we can communicate. We've written him off," Erdogan was quoted as saying by Turkish media. Israel had previously withdrawn all diplomats from Türkiye and other regional countries.
The Israeli foreign ministry announced last weekend that it was "re-evaluating" its relations with Ankara in light of Türkiye 's increasingly heated rhetoric about the Israel-Hamas conflict. Erdogan stated on Saturday that Türkiye was not completely terminating diplomatic relations with Israel.
"Completely severing ties is not possible, especially in international diplomacy," he said, as reported by AFP. He claimed that MIT intelligence agency chief Ibrahim Kalin was leading Türkiye 's efforts to mediate a cease-fire.
"Ibrahim Kalin is in contact with the Israeli side. Of course, he's negotiating with Palestine and Hamas," Erdogan explained.
However, he claimed Netanyahu was the primary perpetrator of the violence and had "lost the support of his own citizens."
"What he needs to do is take a step back and stop this," he said. In the early days of the war, Türkiye 's leader had taken a more cautious stance.
However, he led a massive rally in Istanbul last weekend, accusing Israel's government of acting like a "war criminal" and attempting to "eradicate" Palestinians.
As part of his Middle East tour, Blinken will begin a two-day visit to Ankara on Sunday. After visiting Israel the day before, the top US diplomat was meeting with Arab counterparts in Amman, Jordan, on Saturday. He did, however, leave Israel empty-handed after urging Israeli leaders to do more to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip during Israel's war to destroy Hamas.