Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to attack Israel in a dramatic escalation of the war of words between the two countries, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Ankara
of massacring its own citizens.
At a political event on Saturday, Erdogan said, “Had Pakistan not been mediating in the war between the US and Iran, we would have shown Israel its place.” He also accused Netanyahu of being “blinded by blood and hatred.”
“Just as we entered Libya and Karabakh, we can enter Israel,” Erdogan remarked. His remarks came as reports suggested that Turkey had indicted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, along with 35 other Israeli officials, for the naval interception of the October 2025 “Sumud” Gaza flotilla, and was seeking up to 4,596 years in prison as punishment.
Netanyahu hit out at Turkey, saying Israel would continue to fight Iran’s terror regime and its proxies, “unlike Erdogan who accommodates them and massacres his own Kurdish citizens.” Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz also accused Turkey of antisemitism and sham trials against Israeli political and military leadership.
‘Hitler Of Our Time’
In response to Netanyahu’s remarks against Erdogan, the Turkish Foreign Ministry described the Israeli PM as the “Hitler of our time” and that his objective was to “sabotage” the ongoing peace negotiations between Iran and the United States.
“Netanyahu, described as ‘the Hitler of our time’, is a figure whose identity and record are well known. An arrest warrant has been issued against him by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Under Netanyahu’s leadership, Israel is being tried at the International Court of Justice on allegations of genocide,” the ministry said in a statement.
Omer Celik, spokesperson of the ruling Islamic-oriented Justice and Development Party, or AKP, said Israel’s comments aimed to sabotage the peace talks in Pakistan, foment unrest among the Kurdish minority and pit Turkey against Iran. Numan Kurtulmus, the speaker of Turkey’s parliament, called Netanyahu “the ringleader terrorist of the 21st century’s massacre and terror network.”
21. yüzyılın katliam ve terör şebekesi elebaşı terörist Netanyahu’nun Sayın Cumhurbaşkanımıza yönelik hadsiz sözleri suçluluk psikolojisinin açık bir tezahürüdür.
Elleri çocuk kanıyla dolu, uluslararası hukukun peşinde olduğu bir ismin Türkiye’ye ahlak dersi verme cüreti,…
— Numan Kurtulmuş (@NumanKurtulmus) April 12, 2026
“The audacity of someone whose hands are stained with children’s blood — someone pursued by international law — to presume to lecture Turkey on morality is merely an indicator of his efforts to cover up his own crimes against humanity, and it holds no validity whatsoever,” Kurtulmus remarked.
Turkey’s Head of Communications, Burhanettin Duran, said Netanyahu was a criminal with arrest warrants and no friends. “He is dragging the region to chaos and conflict as a political survival strategy. Everyone knows that he has no moral values and legitimacy to lecture anyone,” he said.
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Turkey has been a vocal critic of the war in Gaza, which it describes as a genocide. It implemented a trade embargo on Israel in May 2024, halting exports and imports and resulting in a severe decline in bilateral trade.
Both Erdogan and Netanyahu share a close relationship with US President Donald Trump and have long competed for regional dominance. Ankara has developed closer diplomatic relations with Greece, Cyprus and the Gulf states, while also strengthening its influence in Syria, challenging Israel’s influence.
