Türkiye on Tuesday strongly condemned the controversial new Israeli law introducing the death penalty for Palestinians, calling it unlawful and a step that deepens systemic discrimination.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said the legislation adopted by the Knesset is designed to be applied exclusively to Palestinians and constitutes a continuation of policies targeting the Palestinian people.

The ministry said the measure is “null and void” under international law and criticized Israel for further entrenching practices that undermine Palestinian rights.

Ankara also urged the international community, particularly the United Nations, to take action in response to what it described as Israel’s unlawful steps.

Israel’s parliament approved the legislation Monday, establishing capital punishment as the standard sentence for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank convicted of carrying out deadly attacks against Israelis.

According to the law, executions would be conducted by hanging, carried out by designated prison personnel from the Israeli Prison Service, who would be granted anonymity and legal protection.

Those sentenced would be held in specialized detention facilities, with visits restricted to authorized individuals. Access to legal counsel would also be limited, with meetings taking place only via video link.

The law permits courts to impose the death penalty without a formal request from prosecutors and allows verdicts to be reached by a simple majority rather than a unanimous decision.

It extends to military courts that prosecute Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and enables the defense minister to submit an opinion during proceedings.

The legislation further removes the right to appeal once a death sentence has been handed down.

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Mustafa Bozbey, mayor of Türkiye’s fourth largest city, Bursa, for the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) was detained on Tuesday, along with 54 other suspects. Authorities said Bozbey and others face charges of running a criminal organization, bribery, money laundering and zoning violations. The Sabah newspaper reported that Bozbey’s wife, daughter and brothers were among other detainees.

The Chief Prosecutor’s Office in northwestern Türkiye said an investigation was underway against Bozbey and others on allegations that the mayor, during his tenure as mayor of Nilüfer, a district of Bursa, was involved in taking bribes in return for illegally changing zoning plans. The statement said Bozbey’s successor as Nilüfer mayor, Turgay Erdem, was also involved in the scheme. Erdem was arrested in a similar operation last year.

Prosecutors said Bozbey was the leader of a criminal ring, adding that four other suspects wanted in the same probe were at large.

The main opposition CHP is under mounting scrutiny as a wave of corruption, bribery and terrorism-related investigations sweeps across its municipalities.

Authorities say several major investigations are underway into municipalities controlled by the CHP, covering allegations from large-scale tender rigging and bribery to financing terrorist organizations.

The most extensive probe targets the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), led by ousted Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, over claims of systematic corruption, fictitious tenders and abuse of public resources. Prosecutors allege a network, headed by senior municipal officials, rigged numerous public contracts. Imamoğlu and his aides deny all charges.

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March 31 marks the “Day of Genocide” of Azerbaijanis, a chilling episode in the history of the country where 50,000 people were slaughtered by Armenian gangs in 1918. The day is a painful reminder of the past for Azerbaijan, which only recently managed to retake its territory from Armenian occupiers.

At the beginning of the 20th century, in the final days of Tsarist Russia, Armenians who had been settled in various regions of Azerbaijan took advantage of the power vacuum to begin massacring Azerbaijanis and seizing their lands.

Arming themselves from 1905 onward, the Armenian gangs stirred up unrest across the country, particularly in Baku.

With the revolution in Russia in 1917, the Tsarist regime collapsed. The Bolsheviks, who came to power, also took control of the administration in Baku. Armenian Bolshevik revolutionary Stepan Shaumian provided political and financial support to Armenian gangs, leading to an increase in attacks against Azerbaijanis.

Between March 30 and April 3, 1918, Armenian and Bolshevik gangs massacred 50,000 Azerbaijanis in Baku, Shamakhi, Guba, Khachmaz, Lankaran, Hajigabul, Salyan, Zangezur, Karabakh, Nakhchivan and other regions. The massacre ended when the Ottoman army, known as the “Caucasian Islamic Army,” came to Azerbaijan’s aid and cleared the country of these gangs.

The atrocities and massacres committed by Armenians in Azerbaijan in 1918 are recognized as “genocide.”

The late President Heydar Aliyev, through a decree signed in 1998, decided that March 31 would be commemorated as “Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis.”

Azerbaijan’s ombudsman, Sabina Aliyeva, stated that the events of March-April 1918 were one of the bloodiest and most tragic examples of systematic attacks against Azerbaijanis.

In a statement to an Anadolu Agency (AA) correspondent on Tuesday, Aliyeva said that systematic and ruthless crimes have been committed against Azerbaijanis by Armenians since the beginning of the 20th century, both in various regions of Azerbaijan and in present-day Armenia.

Stating that thousands of innocent people were killed during this process due to their national and religious identities, Aliyeva noted that these events have gone down in history as mass massacres.

Aliyeva emphasized that the international recognition of the genocide crimes committed against Azerbaijanis and the ensuring of justice are of great importance to prevent the recurrence of similar crimes against humanity in the future.

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Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh in Ankara on Tuesday, according to diplomatic sources.

The meeting focused on regional and global developments, the sources said.

The sources said on Monday that Türkiye would reiterate its full support to the State of Palestine, safeguarding the rights of the Palestinian people and the vision for a two-state solution during the talks. It was also highlighted that Türkiye will not allow the Netanyahu government’s illegal actions and annexation policies in the occupied Palestinian territories to hinder regional and international efforts for the two-state solution.

Fidan was also expected to underline the international community’s responsibility to prevent the humanitarian crisis in Gaza from deepening. The talks would focus on the “Board of Peace” and related mechanisms, the situation on the field and future steps, sources said, adding that they would also raise the issue of Israel’s attempts to undermine the Board of Peace’s activities.

The Turkish public and government are major supporters of the Palestinian cause. Türkiye has been a traditional ally to Palestine, but as the Israeli attacks became more brutal, Ankara has become harsher in its criticism in the past year. It has condemned what it calls genocide, halted all trade with Israel and applied to join the genocide case against Israel at the World Court, which Israel rejects.

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Türkiye’s intelligence chief held talks with a senior Hamas delegation in Ankara, with discussions centered on the ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza and the deepening humanitarian crisis, security sources said.

The head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Ibrahim Kalın, met with Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas’ negotiating team, along with accompanying officials, in a meeting that addressed key regional developments.

According to sources, the talks focused on the situation in Gaza, including Israel’s continued military operations and their humanitarian impact. The sides also discussed Israeli settler violence in the West Bank and restrictions imposed on worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Participants emphasized the need for Israel to fulfill its obligations under the first phase of the Gaza cease-fire plan and reviewed prospects for implementing the second phase.

The Hamas delegation expressed appreciation for Türkiye’s efforts to support peace in Gaza and conveyed thanks to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for Ankara’s ongoing diplomatic engagement.

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Turkish authorities have issued detention warrants for 12 suspects as part of an investigation into the alleged “public sector confidential structure” of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), prosecutors said Tuesday.

According to a statement from the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Terror Crimes Investigation Bureau identified suspects who allegedly operated within the group’s covert network, infiltrating state institutions. The probe focused on operational phone lines and communication methods used by the organization.

Authorities said evidence indicates that the suspects used ByLock, an encrypted messaging application associated with FETÖ, and were in contact through sequential calls made via payphones and prepaid lines, a known communication tactic of the group.

Some suspects are also linked to prior testimonies regarding organizational activities.

Among the 12 suspects, five are reportedly still employed in public institutions. Police counterterrorism units, in coordination with the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), launched simultaneous operations across four provinces centered in Ankara to detain the suspects.

Separately, in the northwestern province of Edirne, four individuals, including three suspects accused of links to FETÖ, were captured while they were allegedly attempting to cross the border illegally, officials said Monday.

According to security sources, teams from the Provincial Police Department’s Intelligence Branch and the Keşan Police Department’s Counterterrorism Unit conducted an operation targeting individuals preparing for illegal departure abroad.

Following procedures at the police station, all four suspects were referred to court. A judge ordered their arrest pending trial, authorities said.

FETÖ is behind the defeated coup attempt, in which 252 people were killed, and 2,734 were wounded. The attempt was plotted and carried out by FETÖ.

Along with the 2016 coup attempt, FETÖ is also accused of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through infiltration.

Türkiye has targeted the terrorist group’s active members and sleeper cells nonstop, and its influence has been much reduced since 2016.

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