Nazif Yilmaz, a Turkish official in the country’s Ministry of National Education, posted a message on X to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying, “One day they will shoot you too,” and “You will die.” The message was in response to Netanyahu’s post of a video showing Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) carrying out airstrikes against Hamas in Gaza following Hamas’ attack on Israel Saturday that killed over 1,000 Israelis. Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan questioned the U.S. moving the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford into the eastern Mediterranean, asking, “What will the aircraft carrier of the U.S. do near Israel, why do they come? What will boats around and aircraft on it will do? They will hit Gaza and around, and take steps for serious massacres there.” Erdogan reportedly shared with Reuters. Erdogan has called Israel’s blockade and air strikes in Gaza “a massacre.” Turkey has historically sided with Palestinians and does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization.
