Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Israel had defied the whole world by hitting the UN building in Gaza.

Erdogan made the remarks at a meeting in the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party headquarters in the Turkish capital of Ankara before U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrives in the city to discuss the conflict.

"I want to renew my call to Israel: Stop this war before more innocent individuals and children lose lives and families get devastated," Erdogan said.

He said that Israel was actually joking with the whole globe with its acts in Gaza.

"I want to make a call to the whole world: Do not close your eyes to this brutality and do not remain silent in the face of this massacre. Those who remain silent and do not react would be partners of this wrongful act of Israel," Erdogan added.

He said Turkey's priority is to establish ceasefire in Gaza immediately.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Abdullah Gul also renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza at the same day.

(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2009)