Turkey's president calls the war in Gaza an 'ecocide' at the UN climate summit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday called for the world to recognize the environmental impacts of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and asked the Israeli government to grant more aid access to the Palestinian territory.

Erdogan was speaking at the U.N. climate summit, known as COP31, in Antalya, Turkey.

“What has taken place in Gaza is not only a genocide, but it is also an ecocide,” Erdogan said to applause by world leaders and other climate envoys.

A U.N.-backed panel of independent experts concluded last year that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. Israel vehemently denies the allegations and has accused the panel of antisemitism.

“Centuries old olive trees have been cut down. The soil and water have been polluted in Gaza, and cities in Gaza have been turned into enormous piles of rubble,” Erdogan said. “With Gaza’s destroyed infrastructure, compounded by torrential rain and by flooding, tens of thousands of tents and shelters have been inundated.”

Israel's Foreign Ministry responded in a post on X, accusing Erdogan of “using an international forum to push his anti-Israel campaign of lies” and of supporting Hamas. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza following attacks by Hamas-led militants in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Militants killed around 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.

“Those who truly care about Gaza should demand that Hamas disarm so reconstruction can begin,” the statement read. Israel wasn't invited to COP31.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 74,000 people, according to local health authorities, and destroyed much of Gaza. The Health Ministry, part of Gaza’s Hamas-run government, doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants, but says women and children make up nearly half of the dead.

Erdogan has been an outspoken critic of Israel, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called Erdogan an antisemitic “tyrant.”

“The latest country to become a superspreader of antisemitic lies is Turkey," Netanyahu said in September while speaking at the U.N. General Assembly.

In recent days, heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding destroyed many of the tents and makeshift shelters that Palestinian residents now live in. At least four people were killed earlier this week when a sand embankment collapsed on their shelter. The rain also left many displaced people without food, drinking water or a dry place to sleep.

Humanitarian aid enters the territory, but imports remain far below levels before the start of the Israel-Hamas war — and many items remain blocked by Israel.

A 2025 report by the U.N. Environment Program also outlined the devastating reality of Gaza’s environment since the war began.

Remote sensing assessments showed that by May 2025, more than 97% of the tree crops, 82% of annual crops, 95% of shrubland and 89% of grass and fallow land had been damaged, according to the UNEP report.

“As of now, our families only have 3% of cropland to use, and that is assuming it’s distributed across 2 million Palestinians" in the Gaza Strip, said Mohammed Usrof, co-founder and executive director of the Palestinian Institute for Climate Strategy.

“Not talking about these losses undermines Palestinians’ food supply, livelihoods and ability to remain on their land,” Usrof said.

The territory’s ability to dispose of garbage, treat sewage and deliver clean water has been virtually decimated by three years of war. This has made grim living conditions worse and raised health risks for hundreds of thousands of people deprived of adequate shelter, food and medicine, aid groups say.

The conflict has “all but eliminated” Gazan fishing livelihoods, the report said, highlighting how marine ecosystems have been contaminated with munitions, sewage and solid waste.

“For people in Gaza, this translates into severely limited access to safe drinking water, greater exposure to waterborne diseases and toxic substances, deepening food insecurity and the loss of livelihoods dependent on agriculture and fishing,” Ghiwa Nakat, executive director at Greenpeace MENA, told The Associated Press.

Nakat also warned that Gaza's environment could take years to recover.

“The environmental damage will not end when the war ends,” Nakat said. “Contaminated soil and groundwater, destroyed ecosystems and the collapse of essential environmental infrastructure could undermine public health, food security and livelihoods for generations, threatening communities’ resilience and their ability to recover.”

World leaders began formal talks at COP31 this week, seeking agreement on concrete steps to curb global warming after a year of deadly floods, heat waves and other climate-related disasters.

More than 70 world leaders and senior government officials are speaking at the summit, though some key leaders are absent, including heads of state from the United States, China and India.

Victoria Milko reported from Islamabad.

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Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan leaves after speaking at the COP31 U.N. Climate Summit, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, in Antalya, Turkey. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Palestinians walk through a tent camp housing displaced people amid buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians walk through a rain-soaked tent camp following heavy rainfall in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the COP31 U.N. Climate Summit, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, in Antalya, Turkey. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the COP31 U.N. Climate Summit, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, in Antalya, Turkey. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Outfielder Jacob Young and the Washington Nationals finalized a $23 million, four-year contract on Wednesday, a deal that includes a $6 million signing bonus shielded from a lockout.

Young's signing bonus is payable in $1.5 million annual installment each Dec. 1 from 2026-29.

He gets salaries of $1 million next season, $5 million each in 2028 and 2029, and $6 million in 2030.

Washington has an $8 million team option for 2031 with no buyout. The option price would escalate by $500,000 if he finishes among the top 15 in any Most Valuable Player vote from 2027-30, with a maximum increase of $500,000.

Young would receive a one-time $2 million assignment bonus if traded.

He had been eligible for salary arbitration this offseason after earning $794,200 this year.

“Already one of the top defenders in Major League Baseball, we all saw the significant step forward Jacob took offensively in 2026 and we anticipate continued development in the years to come,” Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni said in a statement. "He is a tremendous representative of the organization and we are excited to have him in the fold for the next several years.”

Young, who turned 27 in late July, set a career high with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs this year while batting .252. He entered the season with five home runs in 1,006 big league plate appearances.

He finished third among NL center fielders in outs above average and runs prevented. He was a Gold Glove Award finalist in 2024 and '25.

The contract was announced three weeks before owners are expected to lock out players after the collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, a decision that would put next season in jeopardy.

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

FILE - Washington Nationals' Jacob Young plays during a baseball game on Aug. 5, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)