Türkiye declares 3-day national mourning for the loss of life in Gaza

As the repercussions of the air strike on Al Ehli Baptist hospital in Gaza which claimed more than 400 lives continue, Türkiye declared 3 days of national mourning for Palestinians.

“It has been deemed appropriate to declare national mourning for three days in order to share the pain of the Palestinian people due to the deaths and injuries caused by the Israeli attacks on civilians, most recently on a hospital on October 17,” the declaration of national mourning read on October 19.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the decision on his social media account stating that “As Türkiye, we feel the great suffering of our Palestinian brothers and sisters in our hearts. As a requirement of our respect for thousands of martyrs, most of whom are children and innocent civilians, a 3-day national mourning has been declared in our country.”

All the flags ordered at half-mast until sunset on Ssaturday in all country and in Turkish foreign missions.

Hospital attack

The Al-Ahli Baptist hospital in Gaza City was targeted on October 17, and according to Palestinian officials, at least 450 people who had sought refuge in the hospital for safety were killed in the airstrike.

Palestinian officials blame Israel for the airstrike, while Israel says the Islamic Jihad organization is responsible for the attack.

Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has continued unabated since the October 7 attack on Israel by the armed wing of Hamas.

According to Palestinian officials, the death toll in Gaza has exceeded 4,000 and the number of wounded has reached tens of thousands.

Israel’s official state television KAN announced that the Israeli army has completed its preparations for a ground operation in the Gaza Strip.

Egypt gives green light for humanitarian aid

With 2.5 million people living in Gaza, which is under a total blockade by Israel and cut off from electricity and water supplies, diplomatic traffic has intensified for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of foreigners.

The previous day, Reuters reported, citing two Egyptian officials, that a temporary ceasefire had been agreed to at the Rafah crossing, the only border in Gaza not controlled by Israel, to allow humanitarian aid and the passage of people with foreign passports. Following the news, Israeli and Hamas officials denied the ceasefire claims.

The day after the hospital attack, US President Joe Biden traveled to Israel and met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Isaak Herzog.

Following his visit, Biden said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had opened the Rafah border crossing, allowing 20 trucks to enter.

Israeli authorities said they would allow the crossing on the condition that the aid “does not reach Hamas”.

US President Biden said that aid could start reaching the Gaza Strip as of Friday. Stating that about 150 trucks are waiting, Biden said that 20 trucks are the first stage.

“We’re going to get people out, but I’m not going to go into any detail with you now,” the US President said.

An Egyptian statement on the meeting between the two leaders said the aid would be coordinated by the relevant authorities of the two countries and international humanitarian groups under the supervision of the United Nations.

Russia’s response to Türkiye’s guarantor offer

Türkiye is also continuing its diplomatic efforts for peace in the region. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced the previous day that Ankara had proposed a system in which the parties would have guarantors for a lasting peace.

Stating that Türkiye could be the guarantor for Palestine and other countries for Israel, Fidan said, “After reaching an agreement that both sides can agree on, the guarantor countries should take responsibility for the fulfillment of its requirements.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a statement in North Korea on October 19 that they are “ready to cooperate” with Turkey’s proposal, Russian state agency TASS reported.

“We are ready to discuss any constructive proposal. This initiative, which I heard the other day, is clearly motivated by a desire to de-escalate and normalize the situation. What exactly is meant, of course, we would like to hear from our Turkish friends with whom we are in contact on this issue,” Lavrov said.

Russia had called an extraordinary meeting of the United Nations Security Council after the hospital attack. Lavrov said that a UNSC resolution could create a mechanism for a solution, adding that Russia’s calls for this had not yielded results.

British Prime Minister in Israel

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also traveled to Israel on October 19. Sunak is expected to meet with Netanyahu and Herzog.

“First and foremost, I am here to express my solidarity with the people of Israel. You have suffered an unspeakable, horrific act of terrorism and I want you to know that the UK and I stand with you,” Sunak said in Tel Aviv.

In an earlier statement, Mr. Sunak said Tuesday’s explosion at a hospital in Gaza, which caused massive Palestinian casualties, “should be a turning point for leaders in the region and around the world to come together to prevent an even more dangerous escalation of the conflict,” adding that Britain would be “at the forefront of that effort.”

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will also visit Egypt, Turkey and Qatar in the coming days.