ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday reiterated his call to reform the United Nations (UN) Security Council, where the United States (US) vetoed a resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza the previous day.
"Due to a veto by the US, no decision was reached. The UN Security Council needs to be reformed.
"We have lost our hope and expectation from the UN Security Council. Since Oct 7, the UN Security Council, whose mission is to establish global peace, has turned into a protector of Israel," Anadolu Agency (AA) quoted Erdogan as saying in his address at the World Human Rights Day event in Istanbul.
Israel resumed its military offensive on the Gaza Strip on Dec 1 after the end of a week-long humanitarian pause with the Palestinian group Hamas.
Around 17,700 Palestinians have been killed in the besieged enclave in Israeli air and ground attacks since Oct 7.
Erdogan stressed that the Israeli government, backed by the full support of the West, was committing atrocities and massacres in Gaza that shame humanity as a whole.
"We will continue our struggle with courage so that innocent people around the world can look to the future with confidence. For the children of Gaza, for the Gazan mothers and fathers who embrace their loved ones with tears, we will continue to raise our voices," Erdogan added. --BERNAMA-ANADOLU