Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a fierce verbal attack against Israel on Wednesday during an address at a United Nations climate conference in Antalya—a gathering to which Israel was not invited—accusing the Jewish state of committing both “genocide” and environmental destruction in the Gaza Strip.
Using the multilateral environmental summit as a platform to rally international opposition against Jerusalem, Erdogan called on global powers to take action over the fallout of the war against Hamas. “What happened in Gaza is not only genocide; it is also ecocide,” the Turkish president claimed during his speech. “Centuries-old olive trees were uprooted, the soil and water were polluted, and cities in Gaza were turned into giant piles of rubble,” Erdogan alleged.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), his accusations drew applause from foreign leaders and national delegates seated in the conference hall. Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a sharp, immediate rebuttal to the speech, condemning the Turkish leader for hijacking an international environmental forum to disseminate terror-aligned propaganda. In its official response, the Foreign Ministry accused Erdogan of “exploiting an international forum to advance an anti-Israel campaign of lies” and actively supporting the Hamas terrorist organization.
Once again, Dictator Erdoğan is using an international forum to push his anti-Israel campaign of lies.
Hamas, whose leaders are hosted in Erdoğan’s Türkiye, is responsible for the devastation in Gaza.
Hamas started this war with the October 7th massacre and embedded its military infrastructure in civilian areas.
Those who truly care about Gaza should demand that Hamas disarm so reconstruction can begin.
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) November 11, 2026
Jerusalem further emphasized that genuine concern for the welfare of Gaza’s civilian population requires confronting the armed terror group responsible for turning the enclave into a battlefield. “Anyone who truly cares about Gaza should demand the disarmament of Hamas so that the reconstruction of the Strip can begin,” the Foreign Ministry added.