Turkey's attempts to fix its once strong ties with Israel have been sent back to square one following violence between Israeli security forces and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey loudly condemned the Israeli actions on May 9 when he described Israel as a "cruel terrorist state". Outrage from Turkey intensified after Israel launched Operation Guardian of the Walls, an air campaign over the Gaza Strip that targeted Hamas militants but cost 256 Palestinian civilians their lives and left 13 Israeli citizens dead.
