Erdoğan blames Israeli PM Netanyahu of having Palestinian blood on his hands

On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described Israel as 'apartheid state' following the Gaza killings which left over 60 Palestinian protesters martyred and thousands of them injured.

"Netanyahu is the PM of an apartheid state that has occupied a defenseless people's lands for 60+ yrs in violation of UN resolutions," Erdoğan tweeted.

He also severely criticized Israeli government for using of excessive force against Palestinian demonstrators during the Nakba Day protests near Gaza-Israel border, and saying: "Netanyahu has the blood of Palestinians on his hands and can't cover up crimes by attacking Turkey. Want a lesson in humanity? Read the 10 commandments."

Earlier on Tuesday, Netanyahu tweeted: "Erdoğan is one of the biggest supporters of Hamas, so there's no doubt he's an expert on terror and slaughter."

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 61 Palestinian demonstrators have been martyred by cross-border Israeli gunfire in one of the deadliest single-day massacres in the country's history.

Thousands of Palestinians have gathered on Gaza Strip's eastern border since Monday morning to take part in protests aimed to commemorate the Nakba anniversary and protest relocating of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Since the border rallies began on March 30, more than 100 Palestinian demonstrators have been killed by cross-border Israeli gunfire, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The rallies will culminate on Tuesday, the 70th anniversary of Israel's establishment -- an event Palestinians refer to as the "Nakba" or "the Catastrophe".

Last week, the Israeli government said the ongoing border protests constituted a "state of war" in which international humanitarian law did not apply.

Turkey announced three days of national mourning and recalled its ambassadors to Israel and the United States over the violence.