Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan compares Benjamin Netanyahu to Hitler in a vicious swipe at the Israeli Prime Minister over the conflict in Gaza

Turkish President Erdogan has compared Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler in a vicious swipe at the Israeli prime minister.

Mr Erdogan yesterday also compared Israel's attacks on Gaza to the Nazis' treatment of the Jewish people.

He said Western countries that support Israel are complicit in what he called war crimes, adding that Turkey would welcome academics and scientists prosecuted for their views on the conflict.

“They always talked bad about Hitler,” he said. 'What difference do you have with Hitler? They will make us miss Hitler. Is what this Netanyahu is doing less than what Hitler did? It's not.'

He added: 'He is richer than Hitler, he has the support of the West. There is all kinds of support coming from the United States. And what did they do with all this support? They killed more than 20,000 Gazans.”

Mr Erdogan yesterday also compared Israel's attacks on Gaza to the Nazis' treatment of the Jewish people. In the photo: Hitler giving a speech in 1930

Mr. Netanyahu (pictured posing for a photo with Israeli troops) responded by saying that the Turkish president should be the last person to lecture Israel.

Mr. Netanyahu responded by saying that the Turkish president should be the last person to lecture Israel.

“Erdogan, who is committing genocide against the Kurds, who has a world record for imprisoning journalists who oppose his rule, is the last person who can preach morality to us.”

Despite its criticism of Israel, Turkey has maintained commercial ties with the state, drawing a backlash from opposition parties and Iran.

But Ankara says trade with Israel has fallen sharply since October 7, when Hamas launched its cross-border operation that killed 1,200 people, prompting Israel to launch its war against Hamas.

Unlike its Western allies and some Arab countries, NATO member Turkey does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization.