President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared on May 27 that the ongoing war in Gaza has cast a painful shadow over Eid al-Adha celebrations, while issuing a renewed condemnation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
After attending Eid prayers at a mosque in Istanbul, Erdoğan described the Muslim holiday as a symbol of sacrifice, unity and closeness, before turning his focus to the war in Gaza.
“We experienced Palestine, we experienced Gaza... What is happening in Palestine and Gaza represents for us a different vigil and reflection during this holiday,” Erdoğan said. “May God ensure that this tyrant called Netanyahu receives the lesson he deserves before the Muslim world.”
Erdoğan criticized Netanyahu and said he believed Muslims around the world expected accountability for Israel’s actions in Gaza. He also voiced hopes for greater unity across the Islamic world during Eid al-Adha.
The president said Eid al-Adha was a “holiday of submission and devotion,” emphasizing themes of solidarity and togetherness among Muslims gathering for the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
Erdoğan was accompanied at the mosque by senior Turkish officials, including former parliament speaker İsmail Kahraman, Youth and Sports Minister Osman Aşkın Bak and Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır.
The president’s remarks came as Palestinians in Gaza marked the holiday amid widespread destruction caused by Israel’s military campaign. Thousands performed Eid prayers in the ruins of destroyed mosques, in streets and inside tent camps sheltering displaced families.
In a separate Eid message shared on X, Erdoğan extended greetings to people in Gaza and across what he called Türkiye’s “geography of the heart,” saying many were spending the holiday in grief and pain.
“May God bring us, both as a nation and as an ummah, to many more holidays centered on peace, well-being, unity and brotherhood,” he wrote.
Ankara has been vocal in criticizing international responses to conflicts, particularly in Gaza and other parts of the region, positioning itself as an advocate for stronger global action to protect civilians.
Türkiye and Israel have had sharply strained relations since the outbreak of the war with Hamas. Erdoğan has frequently accused Netanyahu’s government of committing “genocide” in the enclave.
Since the conflict erupted in October 2023, Türkiye has taken steps to cut trade with Israel. Last April, Ankara banned exports of more than 1,000 products to Israel and later imposed a full suspension of exports, imports and transit trade across all categories.
