Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used his address to the United Nations General Assembly on 22 September to condemn the situation in Gaza and the absence of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The Middle East Eye live-blog reported that Abbas could not travel to New York after the United States rejected his visa application.
Erdogan said the decision against Abbas was an injustice to Palestinians and something that should concern the international community. He also urged people not to ignore the conditions facing civilians in Gaza.
Comments on the toll in Gaza
Erdogan said Palestinians were still searching through rubble for missing loved ones. He described the past three years as a period of Israeli state terror and used severe language to characterise the conditions in Gaza, including calling it a concentration camp and a graveyard for children.
The remarks were Erdogan’s statements during the UN address, as reported by Middle East Eye; the live-blog update did not include a response from the US or Israeli governments.
Source: Middle East Eye live-blog update, 22 September 2026, 17:28 BST.
