Israel has carried out air and ground attacks on Hamas militants in Gaza, killing 15,000 Gazans according to Gaza health authorities.

The attack was carried out in response to a Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7 that left 1,200 people dead and 240 hostages taken.

In a call ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on Gaza scheduled for Wednesday, Erdogan and Guterres discussed “the international community’s expectations regarding Israel’s illegal attacks,” the issue of humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza and efforts to create lasting peace, the Turkish presidency said.

“In the call, President Erdogan said that Israel continues to shamelessly trample on international law, the law of war and international humanitarian law in front of the international community. This state must be held accountable for the crimes it has committed.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will attend the UN Security Council meeting in New York, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

In a statement, the ministry also said Mr. Fidan would also meet his counterpart in the Muslim countries' relations group, set up by the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) this month to discuss Gaza with Western powers and other countries.

Türkiye has sharply criticized Israel's attacks in Gaza and called for an immediate ceasefire to allow for discussion of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Mr Erdogan has described Israel’s attacks in Gaza as genocide and accused Israel of being a “terrorist state”. Israel has denied the accusations and said it was defending itself against a hostile faction that wanted to destroy it.

Türkiye has also welcomed some Hamas members and does not consider the group a terrorist organization, unlike the United States, the European Union and some Gulf states. It has accused the West, apart from Spain and Belgium, of complicity due to their support for Israel.

Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)