ANKARA — Turkey's foreign ministry summoned Israel's chargé d'affaires on Thursday to protest what President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described as Israeli attempts to cover up the "barbaric genocide" in Gaza. The move followed a fresh round of accusations exchanged between the two governments.

Erdogan said slanders against Turkey were designed to distract from Israel's military campaign in Gaza. He repeated his charge that Israel had committed genocide, a claim Israeli officials have rejected as antisemitic incitement.

Relations between the two countries have been severed at the ambassadorial level since 2024. Turkey suspended trade with Israel and downgraded diplomatic ties earlier in the war, and Erdogan's ruling AK Party has made support for the Palestinian cause central to its foreign policy messaging.

Israel's foreign ministry, led by Gideon Saar, has repeatedly accused Erdogan of hostility and of harbouring Hamas figures in Turkey. The latest exchange raised the prospect of further downgrades in relations, including additional trade restrictions.

Turkish officials indicated that Ankara would continue pressing at the United Nations and the International Court of Justice for accountability over the conduct of the war in Gaza. A Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson said Ankara would "not remain silent in the face of crimes against the Palestinian people" and warned that Israel's rhetoric toward Turkey would carry consequences.