NEW YORK, September 23, 2026: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan used his address to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York to sharply criticize Israel over Gaza, call for greater international recognition of a Palestinian state and argue that the UN system needs significant reform.
During Erdoğan’s September 22 address, members of Israel’s delegation walked out of the General Assembly hall. Multiple reports confirmed the walkout, which came as the Turkish president delivered some of his strongest criticism of Israeli policy toward Palestinians.
Erdoğan Uses Strong Language to Describe Gaza
A central part of Erdoğan’s speech focused on the humanitarian situation in Gaza. He described the territory as “our time’s most inhumane, most embarrassing concentration camp,” according to Reuters.
Erdoğan also accused Israel of having a “genocidal mindset” and called on governments to increase pressure on Israel. Those characterizations represent Erdoğan’s allegations and political position; Israel rejects accusations that its conduct amounts to genocide.
Erdoğan said that over the past three years, 74,000 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children. This figure was presented by Erdoğan in his speech and should therefore be understood as his stated figure rather than an independently established number in this article.
Israeli Delegation Leaves During Address
Israel’s delegation walked out of the General Assembly hall during Erdoğan’s speech. The departure underscored the continuing diplomatic confrontation between Israel and Türkiye over Gaza and broader Palestinian issues.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated substantially over the Gaza conflict. Türkiye has been one of Israel’s most vocal critics, while Israeli leaders have strongly rejected Erdoğan’s accusations and criticized his government's position toward Hamas.
The viral social-media post describing the incident as Israel walking out specifically “as Erdoğan calls Gaza world’s ‘largest concentration camp’” is not an exact rendering of the verified quotation found in major reports. The better-supported wording is that Erdoğan described Gaza as “our time’s most inhumane, most embarrassing concentration camp.”
Erdoğan Calls for Wider Recognition of Palestine
The Turkish president also appealed to governments that have not recognized a Palestinian state to reconsider their positions.
He criticized the absence of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from the gathering and said Türkiye would continue to support Palestinian statehood.
Erdoğan said he hoped to see an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and called for reconstruction efforts in Gaza to move forward.
Turkish President Also Targets UN Security Council Structure
Erdoğan’s address went beyond the Israel-Palestinian conflict. He renewed his long-running demand for reform of the United Nations and particularly the Security Council.
He argued that the current structure gives disproportionate influence to its five permanent members, saying a system in which the will of more than 190 countries is subject to five countries is neither fair nor capable of generating sufficient international trust.
His criticism reflects Türkiye’s longstanding campaign for changes to the Security Council, whose permanent members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — hold veto power.
Gaza and Middle East Conflicts Dominate UN Debate
Erdoğan’s intervention came as wars and instability across the Middle East occupied a prominent place in the UN General Assembly's annual debate.
Other leaders also addressed Gaza and the West Bank, while the wider gathering confronted conflicts involving Iran, Yemen, Ukraine and other global security challenges. UN Secretary-General António Guterres used his address to call for greater international cooperation as wars and geopolitical divisions continue to test the institution.
For Türkiye, Erdoğan’s speech reinforced Ankara’s established position: support for Palestinian statehood, intense criticism of Israel’s conduct and a demand for changes to international institutions that Erdoğan argues have failed to respond effectively to major conflicts.
The Israeli delegation’s walkout, meanwhile, offered a visible demonstration of how deeply divided UN members remain over both the Gaza conflict and the language used to characterize it.
