Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that a "bloodthirsty network" continues to attack schools and hospitals in Iran and Lebanon, as it did in Gaza, Anadolu reports.

"The bloodthirsty network continues to strike schools and hospitals in Iran and Lebanon, as it did in Gaza," Erdogan said at an iftar event dedicated to Medicine Day, held on March 14 at the medical faculty of Istanbul University. Speaking about the escalating tensions in the region, Erdogan said Turkey is among the countries "standing for reason, dialogue and diplomacy."

"Despite this state of madness, Turkey is one of the leading countries defending humanity, upholding reason and seeking solutions to crises through dialogue and diplomacy," he said.

Speaking about the humanitarian consequences of the conflict in Gaza, Erdogan said "the world has witnessed scenes where human life is disregarded, and civilians, including babies in incubators and children sent to school with smiles, are killed in explosions."

He noted that during the war in Gaza, doctors, nurses and other medical workers were also targeted, and nearly 1,700 healthcare workers were killed as a result of Israel's "state terror."