Middle East | Veteran Palestinian leader Abbas says he will visit Gaza and calls on Muslim leaders to join him

Istanbul: Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas pledged Thursday to travel to Gaza as the Israel-Hamas war has raged on for more than 10 months.

Addressing the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Abbas also called on Muslim leaders to join him in the enclave, where, according to health officials in Gaza, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since October.

“I have decided to go to Gaza with all my brothers in Palestine,” Abbas said to applause from Turkish lawmakers. “I will go even if the price is my life. My life, our lives, are not more valuable than the life of any child who died in Gaza.”

Abbas, president of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, spoke before parliamentary deputies at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a prominent supporter of Hamas and the wider Palestinian cause. The offer came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the US Congress in July.

In a 45-minute speech, the 88-year-old Abbas thanked Turkey and the Turkish people for their support and condemned Israel for carrying out what he called “genocide” in Gaza. He added that there would be no regional stability without Palestinians receiving their rights.

“The path to peace and security begins and ends with Palestine,” Abbas told deputies, who wore scarves decorated with the Palestinian and Turkish flags.

The veteran leader’s visit came as the threat of Iranian retaliation against Israel over the assassination of Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh fueled concerns of the war spreading across the Middle East.

Erdogan hosted Abbas for talks Wednesday that focused on the war in Gaza. The two discussed “the massacres committed by Israel in Palestinian territories,” and “the steps that need to be taken for a permanent cease-fire and peace” at the presidential palace in Ankara, Erdogan’s office said.

The statement, released on X, said that Erdogan pledged continued support to “Palestine’s just cause” and to work to “increase the pressure on Israel by the international community…Especially the Islamic world” to deliver humanitarian aid and bring peace.

In contrast to Western nations that have designated Hamas a terrorist organization, Erdogan has commended the group, calling it a liberation movement. He also hosted Haniyeh in Turkey on several occasions.

The Palestinian Authority has largely been sidelined since the war in Gaza started when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostages.

Abbas is also chair of the Fatah party, which has a long-running rift with Hamas. Electoral success for Hamas in Gaza in 2006 was followed by a brief armed conflict with Fatah fighters.

In addition to backing Hamas, Erdogan has been a leading critic of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, accusing the Israeli government of committing genocide and likening Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler.

In May, Turkey suspended trade with Israel, citing its assault on Gaza. On Aug 7, Turkey filed a request with a UN court to join South Africa’s genocide lawsuit against Israel.

Turkey’s president has criticised Western nations for backing Israel, and has called for its leaders to be punished in international courts.

Haniyeh’s death two weeks ago in Iran by a presumed Israeli strike, which came shortly after a senior Hezbollah commander was killed in Lebanon, has seen regional tensions soar as leaders watch for an expected Iranian response to the targeting of its allies.

Shortly before Abbas’ arrival, US Ambassador Jeffry Flake said that Washington was seeking the help of Turkey and other governments with friendly ties to Tehran to de-escalate the situation.

“Turkey can talk to groups that we cannot talk to regarding the situation in Gaza,” he was quoted as saying by the state-run Anadolu Agency late Wednesday. “We encourage our interlocutors and partners here to make an effort to reduce tensions where they can.