Turkey’s Erdogan in Malaysia: Israel must rebuild Gaza at cost of US$100 billion

Israel must take full responsibility for the “destruction, pain and massacres” in Gaza, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says

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Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim attend a public lecture in Putrajaya on Monday. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:02pm, 10 Feb 2025Updated: 9:34pm, 10 Feb 2025

Israel must pay the full US$100 billion cost of rebuilding Gaza after destroying the territory, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday during his visit to Malaysia, as he urged Muslim and other countries to push hard for a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Turkey and Malaysia have been among the most vocal opponents of Israel’s 16-month war on Gaza.

The war has killed over 47,000 Palestinians – mostly women and children – in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry. Hostilities were suspended on January 19 after Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas signed a ceasefire deal that included a hostage and prisoner swap.

US President Donald Trump has proposed the rebuilding of Gaza under American “ownership” and the relocation of Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan. Malaysia and other countries have slammed Trump’s idea as tantamount to ethnic cleansing.

During the first day of his two-day visit to Malaysia, Erdogan dismissed any attempt to expel Palestinians from Gaza, in an apparent reference to Trump’s proposal.

Gaza’s buildings had been devastated by Israeli attacks, with about 50 million tonnes of debris strewn across the territory, Erdogan said.