What did Erdoğan say?
On 11 November 2026, at the opening of the Leaders' Summit of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in the Turkish city of Antalya, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said what happened in Gaza is "not only a genocide but also an ecocide." According to Anadolu Agency, he said he had made the same point in his September address to the UN General Assembly. He also called on the world to recognise the environmental impact of the war, AP reported. 1 2 3 4
He listed examples of environmental damage, saying centuries-old olive trees had been cut down, the soil and water in Gaza had been polluted, and cities had been turned into "enormous piles of rubble." He added that tens of thousands of tents and shelters had been flooded because of destroyed infrastructure, torrential rain and flooding. 1 2
He called for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the region immediately, saying "this policy of isolation must end." According to AP, he also asked the Israeli government to grant more aid access to the Palestinian territory. 1 4
How did Israel respond?
In a post on X, Israel's foreign ministry said that "once again, Dictator Erdogan is using an international forum to push his anti-Israel campaign of lies." It said Hamas is responsible for the devastation in Gaza and that those who truly care about Gaza should demand that Hamas disarm so reconstruction can begin. 2
Israel denies the genocide allegation and was not invited to COP31, according to The Times of Israel. 2
What did he say about the climate?
The speech also covered climate finance. Erdoğan said developed countries that have historically consumed the global carbon budget should take greater responsibility for cutting emissions and for financing, and he called for better access to finance, technology and capacity-building for the least developed countries and small island states. 1
He said Türkiye wants COP31 to be an "implementation COP" in partnership with Australia, and he restated his country's goal of net-zero emissions by 2053. 1
What happened at the summit?
According to AP, more than 70 world leaders and senior officials spoke at the summit as formal talks began, while the leaders of China, the United States and India, the world's three biggest polluters, stayed away. 3
Turkey is hosting the conference and Australia is leading the negotiations. On the same day, an annual climate performance index by Germanwatch and the New Climate Institute ranked both countries among the worst performers in curbing emissions. 3