World · Middle East · 2 hrs ago
Erdogan calls Gaza war an ‘ecocide’ at UN climate summit
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the war in Gaza an “ecocide” during the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey.
He said the war had damaged olive trees, farmland, soil, water and cities across the Palestinian territory.
A 2025 UN Environment Programme assessment found widespread damage to crops and other land by May of that year.
Flooding has submerged many tents and shelters where displaced Palestinians are living, leaving some without food, drinking water or dry places to sleep.
Aid groups say damage to water, sewage and waste systems has worsened living conditions and raised health risks.
Erdogan urged Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, where aid imports remain far below pre-war levels, according to the account.
The Israel-Hamas war began after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023; Israel denies allegations of genocide.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the war in Gaza both genocide and ecocide during a speech at the COP31 climate summit in Antalya.
He cited damage to olive trees, soil, water and cities, and said rain and flooding had submerged tens of thousands of tents and shelters.
Erdogan called for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza immediately and for an end to its isolation.
Israel denies genocide allegations, and its Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A 2025 United Nations Environment Program report documented extensive damage to Gaza’s crops and other land.
- Who
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke at the summit.
- What
- He described the Gaza war as both genocide and ecocide and called for more humanitarian aid access.
- When
- Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
- Where
- The COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey.
- Why
- He cited environmental damage and worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza, including the effects of heavy rain and flooding.
Erdogan and Turkey
Israel
Genocide allegations
Erdogan and Turkey
Erdogan called the Gaza war genocide as well as ecocide.
Israel
Israel vehemently denies the genocide allegations and has accused a U.N.-backed panel of antisemitism.
Responsibility and conditions
Erdogan and Turkey
Erdogan called for more aid access to Gaza and an end to its isolation.
Israel
The article says many items remain blocked by Israel; Israel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to AP.
A U.N. Environment Program report found that more than 97% of tree crops in Gaza had been damaged.
A photograph caption in Middle East Eye described a displaced Palestinian man in a partially flooded tent camp in Gaza City.
Erdogan addressed the COP31 summit in Antalya and called the Gaza war both genocide and ecocide.
- Summit
- COP31 in Antalya, Turkey
- Speaker
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
- UNEP report
- More than 97% of tree crops damaged by May 2025
- Gaza deaths
- More than 74,000, according to local health authorities cited by AP
- Hostages
- 251 taken in the October 7, 2023 attacks, according to AP
3 sources
What people are saying
What has taken place in Gaza is not only a genocide, but it is also an ecocide
Hundreds of thousands of our brothers and sisters in Gaza, with no roof under which to take shelter, especially innocent children trembling with cold, are struggling to survive amid the floodwaters in these winter conditions, often without their mothers or fathers
The brutal truth is that the climate crisis is outrunning us
Fossil fuels must go the way of the dinosaurs.