Turkish PM invites countries to join OIC emergency summit

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Tuesday invited his counterparts from five countries to join an emergency summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to discuss the killings of Palestinians at Gaza border in the ongoing clashes with the Israeli army.

Turkey's Anadolu news agency quoted sources informing that Yildrim had telephone conversations with Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Morocco's Saadeddine Othmani, Pakistan's Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Qatar's Abdullah bin Nasir es-Sani and Algeria's Ahmed Ouyahia over Israeli violence.

Further Yildirim invited all these leaders to join the emergency summit of the OIC to be held in Istanbul on May 18.

Gaza on Monday witnessed one of the deadliest massacres as Israeli and Palestine forces engaged in deadly cross-border gunfire.

Palestinians had gathered on the Gaza strip to protest against the relocation of the United States embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and also to commemorate Nakba anniversary or Israeli Independence Day.

On a related note, the death toll in a fresh incident of Israel-Palestine clashes rose to 62, including eight minors and a toddler, who lost his life due to inhalation of tear gas.

Following the violent clashes, Turkey recalled its ambassador from Israel and the U.S. for consultations, South Africa also recalled its envoy from Israel.

Earlier on Tuesday, the United Nations had called for an emergency meeting to discuss the Gaza border protests.