Erdogan condemns Gaza 'ecocide' at Cop31 climate summit in Turkey

Gaza has suffered an ecocide as well as a genocide, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday during his opening address at the Cop31 climate conference, which is being held in Antalya.

“As I also emphasised in my address to the UN General Assembly, Gaza has suffered not only genocide but also ecocide,” Erdogan said of the Palestinian enclave, which has been subject to an Israeli onslaught since October 2023.

“Centuries-old olive trees have been cut down, the soil and water have been contaminated, and cities have been reduced to enormous piles of rubble.”

Erdogan said heavy rainfall and flooding had compounded the humanitarian suffering in Gaza, leaving tens of thousands of tents and shelters submerged.