Senior Turkish official to Netanyahu: ‘One day they will shoot you too and you will die’

The explicit threat from a Turkish official has stirred international concern, with many calling for Jerusalem to sever its recently renewed ties with Ankara

By World Israel News Staff

A high-ranking member of Turkey’s Ministry of National Education sparked a firestorm by posting a message directed at Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on X, stating, “One day they will shoot you too” and “You will die.”

Nazif Yilmaz, who serves as the deputy minister of the governmental body, made his incendiary comments in reaction to a video Netanyahu posted on his account Tuesday. The footage depicted the IDF carrying out airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

On the same day as Yilmaz’s post, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan voiced concern over the United States’ recent naval movements. The USS Gerald Ford – the world’s largest aircraft carrier – entered Mediterranean waters overnight Tuesday and is expected to reach Israel in the coming days and the U.S. is also reported to be considering sending a second aircraft carrier to Israel.

“What will the aircraft carrier of the U.S. do near Israel, why do they come? What will boats around and aircraft on it will do? They will hit Gaza and around, and take steps for serious massacres there,” Erdogan said.

The explicit threat from a Turkish official has stirred international concern, with many calling for Jerusalem to sever its recently renewed ties with Ankara.

Previously, Erdogan has called Israelis of “blood-sucking child killers” who intentionally targeting Palestinian kids, along with other inflammatory statements.

Turkey does not consider Hamas to be a terror organization.