Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told a packed pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul that Israel is an occupying power, and reiterated his position that Hamas is not a terrorist organization.

“I repeat that Hamas is not a terrorist organization. Israel was greatly offended by this (…). Israel is an occupying power, Erdogan speaks clearly because Turkey owes you nothing,” he told hundreds of thousands of people gathered at Istanbul’s old Ataturk Airport.

The Turkish president also accused the West of being “the main culprit of the massacres in Gaza”.

“The main culprits for the massacres in Gaza are the Westerners. With the exception of some consciences that raised their voices, (these) massacres are entirely the work of the West,” Erdogan said.