Turkish Leader Praises UN Court Ruling on Israel over War in Gaza

 Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a joint press conference with Iranian president joint press conference in Ankara, on January 24, 2024. (AFP)
Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a joint press conference with Iranian president joint press conference in Ankara, on January 24, 2024. (AFP)
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Turkish Leader Praises UN Court Ruling on Israel over War in Gaza

 Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a joint press conference with Iranian president joint press conference in Ankara, on January 24, 2024. (AFP)
Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a joint press conference with Iranian president joint press conference in Ankara, on January 24, 2024. (AFP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the International Court of Justice’s decision as “valuable.”

Türkiye would continue seeking to “ensure that war crimes committed against innocent Palestinian civilians do not go unpunished,” he added, writing on X, formerly Twitter.

“We hope that Israel’s attacks against women, children and the elderly will come to an end,” Erdogan said.

Ankara has strongly criticized Israel’s operation in Gaza, alleging war crimes and human rights abuses.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement it expected the decision to be “immediately and fully implemented by Israel.”

Israel must prevent genocidal acts in Gaza and allow humanitarian aid into the territory, the UN's top court ruled Friday, in a closely watched decision that stopped short of calling for a ceasefire.

The International Court of Justice was not deciding whether Israel was actually committing genocide with its military campaign in Gaza -- that process will likely take several years.

The case was brought by South Africa, which has accused Israel of breaching the UN Genocide Convention.



Student Detained in Slovakia after 2 People Fatally Stabbed at High School

Police officers keep watch near a school following a knife attack in the town of Spisska Stara Ves, Slovakia, January 16, 2025. Adriana Hudecova/TASR via REUTERS
Police officers keep watch near a school following a knife attack in the town of Spisska Stara Ves, Slovakia, January 16, 2025. Adriana Hudecova/TASR via REUTERS
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Student Detained in Slovakia after 2 People Fatally Stabbed at High School

Police officers keep watch near a school following a knife attack in the town of Spisska Stara Ves, Slovakia, January 16, 2025. Adriana Hudecova/TASR via REUTERS
Police officers keep watch near a school following a knife attack in the town of Spisska Stara Ves, Slovakia, January 16, 2025. Adriana Hudecova/TASR via REUTERS

An 18-year-old student fatally stabbed two people at a high school in northern Slovakia on Thursday, authorities said.
One other person was in critical condition, the Slovak rescue service said. The stabbings took place in Spisska Stara Ves, a small town on the border with Poland that has a population of over 2,000 people.
The suspect initially fled, but police said that he was detained shortly after the attack.
Police said that the suspect attacked a teacher and two students. Further details weren't immediately available.
A 51-year-old deputy principal of the high school and a 18-year old student, both female, were killed, The Associated Press quoted the rescue service as saying.
President Peter Pellegrini called the attack “a real tragedy” and offered condolences along with Prime Minister Robert Fico to the relatives.
“No problem in the world can be solved with a knife or any other weapon,” Pellegrini said.
Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok and Education Minister Tomáš Drucker traveled to the town.
Drucker said that he would work to take steps to prevent such attacks in the future and protect students and teachers.
Such attacks are rare in Slovakia. In 2020, a 22-year-old former student attacked a high school in the town of Vrutky, killing the deputy principal and wounding five people, including two students. In 2022, a high school student attacked and injured a female pupil at a high school in Novaky.