Netanyahu and Lapid Condemn Erdoğan’s Comparison of Israeli Prime Minister to Hitler as Israel Launches Heavy Strikes in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has responded to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s comparison of him to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, calling Erdoğan “the last person who can preach morality to us.” Netanyahu went on to accuse Erdoğan of committing genocide against the Kurds and imprisoning journalists.

In response to Erdoğan’s remarks, the leader of the opposition in Israel, Yair Lapid, also condemned Erdoğan’s words and the comparison to the Holocaust and Hitler.

Meanwhile, Israel launched heavy strikes across central and southern Gaza overnight and into Wednesday, broadening its offensive against Hamas to more areas where the military had told Palestinians to seek shelter earlier in the war. Residents reported heavy bombing in the built-up Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, in the southern city of Khan Younis and in the southern town of Rafah, areas where tens of thousands have sought refuge as much of northern Gaza was pounded to rubble.

Rami Abu Mosab, who has been sheltering in the Bureij camp since fleeing his home in northern Gaza, said, “We haven’t seen such bombing since the start of the war.” Netanyahu defended the Israeli military’s actions, claiming that it is the “most moral army in the world” and that it is fighting Hamas, a terrorist organization Erdoğan “praises.”

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has resulted in hundreds of deaths and injuries on both sides. The international community has called for an immediate ceasefire to prevent further loss of life.