YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Turkey has expelled the Israeli Ambassador and the Consul General over the fatal clashes between the Israeli military and Palestinians in Gaza when more than 60 Palestinians were killed.

According to the Turkish Hurriyet newspaper, the Israeli Ambassador was summoned to the Turkish foreign ministry and was told to leave the country. The move prompted Israel to summon the Turkish envoy in their country and demand to “temporarily leave the country for negotiations”.

Earlier Turkey had recalled its Ambassador from the US for talks.

Over 60 Palestinian protesters, including children, have been killed by Israeli gunfire during demonstrations on the day of the US embassy's inauguration in Jerusalem on May 14.

More than 2,700 protesters have been injured in Gaza on what has been the most violent day of the six week long Great March of Return. Those wounded on Monday include 203 children and 78 women, according to the Palestinian healthcare ministry. 

The Palestinian government denounced Monday’s violence as a “terrible massacre” perpetrated “by the forces of the Israeli occupation”, and called for an immediate international intervention to prevent further deaths. A day of national mourning has been declared by the government in Ramallah, to be held Tuesday.

Around 35,000 protesters gathered at the border fence and thousands more within half a mile of the vicinity, according to Israeli Defence Forces. 

Clashes have also reportedly broken out between protesters and the Israeli Defense Forces in Bethlehem

Meanwhile, the IDF said Israeli Air Force planes targeted Hamas posts near Jabalya after its soldiers came under fire in the area.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan described Monday’s bloodshed, the deadliest for Palestinians since the 2014 Gaza conflict, as genocide and called Israel a terrorist state. The government declared three days of mourning.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan