Dubai, UAE— Turkey has suspended joint-energy projects with Israel over the latter’s invasion and bombardment of the Gaza Strip, according to Turkish Minister of Energy Alparslan Bayraktar.
The minister in a statement said: “It would be inappropriate to talk about the implementation of projects with Israel under such conditions. The only thing we can talk about is supplying electricity and water to Gaza.”
“In an environment of such great brutality and human tragedy, it would be disrespectful to humanity and to our brothers and sisters there [in Palestine] to talk about any project,” Bayraktar said.
Bayraktar was planning a trip to Palestine in November.
Also read: Exclusive reports on Gaza-related developments
The Israeli regime waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after Palestinian resistance groups launched the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm into the occupied territories in response to the regime’s intensified crimes against Palestinians.
Since then, the occupying regime has embarked on an incessant bombardment of the Gaza Strip, with the Gaza-based health ministry announcing on Friday that 11,078 people, including 4,506 children, have been killed, and 27,490 others have sustained injuries.
The Tel Aviv regime has also blocked access to water, food, and electricity in Gaza, plunging the coastal area into a humanitarian crisis.
The Israeli regime has over the past weeks launched several strikes on Gaza’s medical and educational facilities as part of its onslaught.
Tel Aviv has so far defied international calls to implement a ceasefire aimed at taking Palestinian civilians, including women and children, out of harm’s way.