Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday blasted Israel and described it as a "terror state" after it launched surprise strikes on terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip.

"The Zionist regime has once again shown that it is a terror state that feeds on the blood, lives and tears of the innocent with its brutal attacks on Gaza last night," Erdogan said at a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner, as quoted by AFP.

Israel launched the surprise strikes early Tuesday morning after Hamas refused to release more hostages and rejected US envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation on Tuesday evening following the surprise strikes, saying, "We returned to fighting with strength, on the recommendation of security officials."

"This is just the beginning. We will continue to fight to achieve the goals of the war and the promise that Gaza will not pose a threat to Israel," he said. "From now on, negotiations will only take place under fire."

"We extended the ceasefire in the weeks in which we did not receive any hostages, we sent delegations to Doha, we accepted the proposal of US envoy Witkoff, but on the other hand Hamas rejected every proposal. I accepted the recommendation of the IDF and the security establishment to return to fighting," Netanyahu added.

Erdogan has increased his verbal attacks on Israel since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023. The two countries had been on track to restore strained ties before Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.

The Turkish President has also openly expressed support for Hamas. Last April, he met then-Hamas political bureau leader Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul, who was later eliminated by Israel in Tehran.

Weeks after meeting Haniyeh, Erdogan boasted of the fact that more than 1,000 members of Hamas were being treated in hospitals across Turkey and also took issue with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ reference to Hamas as a terrorist organization.

Erdogan also met with senior Hamas members in Ankara in late January.