Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Thursday described Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s comments on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Cyprus problem as “deliberate, impudent, and hostile”.

As Sa’ar and Erdogan engaged in a spat on Wednesday evening, Sa’ar had said Erdogan “illegally holds northern Cyprus”, prompting Tatar’s ire.

“This statement is an expression of an understanding which seeks to distort historical facts. It is futile for an administration which ruthlessly massacres civilians, women and children in Gaza every day and systematically violates international law to try to cover up its own crimes with twisted statements against Erdogan,” Tatar said.

He added that Erdogan is “a leader who stands resolutely against oppression and speaks the truth at the highest level, despite the global silence”.

“The systematic destruction carried out against civilians in Gaza today is now considered within the scope of the crime of genocide. The world is silent, those in power are unresponsive, but Erdogan has broken this silence and maintained his determination to defend justice and law,” he said.

It is for this reason, he said, that “the genocidal Israeli administration systematically targets the president of the Republic of Turkey”.

“The extension of the same mentality on this island is the Greek Cypriot leadership, which ignores the Turkish Cypriot people’s sovereignty and equality. Today, these structures, which still work to ensure the continuation of inhumane isolations, are trying to silence those who speak the truth,” he said.

Sa’ar had written in a social media post that Erdogan “has set a record in suppressing the freedoms and rights of his citizens, as well as his country’s opposition”, and that despite this, he “dares to preach to others”.

“It is particularly ironic that someone who does not hide his imperialist ambitions, someone who invaded northern Syria and illegally holds northern Cyprus, claims to speak in the name of morality and international law. A little self-awareness could be helpful,” he said.

His comments came in response to a speech Erdogan had made to MPs from his AK Party, in which he said that in Gaza, “Israel is raining bullets and bombs on the innocent who have gathered at aid distribution points”, and is “shooting and vilely killing hundreds of people who are suffering from hunger”.

“Believe me, the most horrific photographs and videos of the second world war look very, very innocent next to the images coming from Gaza … [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu has long surpassed the cruel Hitler in the crime of genocide,” he said.

Moving onto the matter of Iran, he said, “as if all this were not enough, Israel has expanded its area of banditry by attacking some targets in Iran and organising assassinations inside Iran”.

“It is a completely natural, legitimate, and legal right for Iran to defend itself against Israel’s banditry and this state terrorism,” he said.