Erdogan Speech Claiming Israel's 'End Is Near' Viewed 2 Million Times

A video of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemning Israel for its military actions in Gaza and suggesting its downfall was imminent has gone viral.

Israel has reacted angrily to the comments by Erdogan that it was a "terror state" that had committed war crimes in its fight against Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas after its October 7 attacks on Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and 240 taken hostage, according to the Associated Press.

Since then, Israel has enforced a strict blockade of Gaza, and conducted an aerial bombing and armored ground offensive Palestinian authorities say has killed around 11,200 people, according to the AP.

Ahead of a visit to Germany to meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Erdogan said on Wednesday that Israel's military campaign included "the most treacherous attacks in human history" with "unlimited support from the West."

"Israel, you possess atomic bombs, nuclear bombs and you threaten with him," he said in the clip, according to its subtitles. "We know all of this, the end is near for you."

Erdogan compared the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians to a war between the Christian and Muslim worlds, saying the crisis was "a matter of cross and crescent." He added that Ankara would move to recognize Israeli settlers in occupied Palestinian territories as "terrorists."

"You may have as many nuclear bombs as you want. Whatever you possess, you are a goner," he said, before Turkish lawmakers stood up to give him a standing ovation."

As of Thursday morning, the clip had received more than 2 million views.

Abdullah Bozkurt, director of the Stockholm-based Nordic Research & Monitoring Network, told Newsweek that Erdogan's comments show his "strong commitment to Islamist ideology" and that "such antisemitic rhetoric contributes to radicalization" in Turkey.

"It goes beyond being dismissible as intended solely for domestic consumption—Erdogan genuinely believes in this stance," Bozkurt said. "This has also to do with his strained relationship with the U.S., compounded by an unfulfilled desire for an invitation from the Biden administration that has kept him at arm's length.

"By using Israel as a punching bag, he aims to garner attention from the White House, hoping to negotiate on various unresolved bilateral issues."

Netanyahu took aim at Erdogan saying he was among the forces "that supports the terrorists." The Israeli prime minister accused Erdogan of hypocrisy, saying that while he dubbed Israel a terror state, the Turkish leader "actually supports the terror state of Hamas."

Erdogan "has himself bombed Turkish villages inside Turkey itself, so we're not going to get any lectures from them," said Netanyahu, likely in reference to Turkish military actions in Kurdish areas.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen also weighed in, saying that Erdogan "distorts reality and finds himself once again on the wrong side of history, alongside those who praise massacres in Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen," according to Israeli news outlet YNet.

Newsweek has contacted the Turkish foreign ministry for comment.

On Thursday, the Israeli military said it was continuing a search of Gaza's Shifa hospital, which it has repeatedly said was a hub for Hamas command, a claim denied by the group and Gaza officials.

It said "a number of terrorists" had been killed within the complex, which is Gaza's largest medical facility.

This comes as Israel's main opposition leader Yair Lapid called for Netanyahu to step down over what he says is the government's poor handling of the war against Hamas.

Lapid wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday there should be a "national reconstruction government" that could be led by Netanyahu's party, Likud, but without the incumbent at the helm. Despite resilience from Israel's military and public, "the weak link is the government, and especially the prime minister," he said.