ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th November, 2019) The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned on Wednesday the ongoing Israeli air raids on the Gaza Strip and called on the international community to take measures to protect the Palestinian civilians.
"We strongly condemn the attacks by Israel that killed many of our innocent Palestinian brothers and sisters in Gaza since yesterday," the statement said.
The ministry also stated that the Israeli authorities should put an end to its "aggressive stance and occupation."
According to the statement, the 52-year-old Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories is "the most prolonged and aggressive occupation of our times."
"In this context, we call on the international community to fulfill its obligations for the protection of the Palestinian civilians," the statement concluded.
Earlier in the day, the Palestinian Health Ministry said that the death toll from the air raids rose to 18, while 50 other people were wounded since the beginning of the Israeli-Palestinian exchange of strikes.
The confrontation between Israel and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip escalated early on Tuesday after Israeli airstrikes killed Baha Abu Al-Ata, a top commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, triggering a fierce response.
