Erdogan brands Gaza war an ecocide at Antalya climate summit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told world leaders on Wednesday that the war in Gaza constitutes an ecocide, urging the international community to recognize the environmental toll of the conflict. He made the declaration at the U.N. climate summit, COP31, currently being held in Antalya, Turkey.

Erdogan stated that centuries-old olive trees have been cut down and that soil and water sources in the territory are polluted. He noted that cities have been reduced to large piles of rubble. The president pointed out that destroyed infrastructure, combined with recent torrential rain and flooding, has inundated tens of thousands of tents and shelters.

A panel of independent experts backed by the United Nations concluded last year that Israel committed genocide in the territory. Israel denies these allegations and has accused the panel of antisemitism. Erdogan’s comments added a new layer to the diplomatic dispute, with the Israeli Foreign Ministry not immediately responding to requests for comment. Israel was not invited to the Antalya summit.

The relationship between Ankara and Jerusalem has been strained for years. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously called Erdogan an antisemitic tyrant. In September, Netanyahu spoke at the U.N. General Assembly and said Turkey had become a superspreader of antisemitic lies. Erdogan has consistently voiced strong criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

The environmental damage cited by Erdogan is backed by recent data. A 2025 report from the U.N. Environment Program detailed the state of Gaza’s environment since the war began in October 2023. Remote sensing assessments in that report showed that by May 2025, more than 97 percent of tree crops were damaged. Additionally, 82 percent of annual crops, 95 percent of shrubland, and 89 percent of grass and fallow land suffered damage.

Mohammed Usrof, executive director of the Palestinian Institute for Climate Strategy, said families in the strip now have access to only 3 percent of cropland. He noted that this figure assumes the land is distributed across two million Palestinians. Usrof argued that ignoring these losses undermines the food supply and livelihoods of the population.

The conflict has severely impacted Gaza’s ability to manage waste and water. Aid groups say the territory’s systems for garbage disposal, sewage treatment, and clean water delivery are nearly destroyed. This has increased health risks for hundreds of thousands of people who lack adequate shelter, food, and medicine. The report also stated that the conflict has all but eliminated fishing livelihoods due to marine ecosystem contamination.

Ghiwa Nakat, executive director at Greenpeace MENA, warned that the environmental damage will persist after the war ends. She said contaminated soil and groundwater, along with destroyed ecosystems, could threaten public health and food security for generations. Nakat told The Associated Press that Gazans face limited access to safe drinking water and greater exposure to waterborne diseases and toxic substances.

The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The militants killed approximately 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 74,000 people, according to local health authorities. The Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, reports that women and children make up nearly half of the dead. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tallies.

More than 70 world leaders and senior officials are speaking at COP31 this week. The formal talks aim to reach agreement on steps to curb global warming following a year of deadly floods and heat waves. Heads of state from the United States, China, and India are absent from the summit.