“Apparently this is how April Fool’s Day is celebrated in Ankara.”

READ MORE: Netanyahu says Turkey in no position to lecture ‘world’s most moral army’ over violent Gaza clashes

Netanyahu’s tweet came in response to Ankara’s criticism of the IDF’s use of lethal force on the Gaza protesters which it described as a “disproportionate.” In a statement following the clashes it demanded that Tel Aviv “immediately stop resorting to force, which further exacerbates the tension in the region.”

Like this story? Erdogan’s remarks came after at least 17 Gazans were killed and hundreds injured on Friday when Israeli forces opened fire on protesters marking “Land Day.”

Calling the Israeli leader “an occupier” in Palestine, Erdogan said Netanyahu has no right to criticize Turkey. At the same time, you are a terrorist,” Erdogan said in a televised speech in Adana, southern Turkey.—Agencies Earlier this week, Netanyahu suggested that Erdogan was playing an April Fool’s Day prank when his spokesman described Friday’s killing of protesters in Gaza as “inhumane.”

More than 1,400 people were injured and 17 were killed when the Israeli military opened fire on Palestinian protesters on the border between Gaza and Israel Friday. “The most moral army in the world will not be lectured to on morality from someone who for years has been bombing civilians indiscriminately,” the Israeli leader said on Twitter. Referring to April Fool’s Day, he added: “Apparently this is how they mark April 1 in Ankara.”

Netanyahu has previously labelled Erdogan as someone who “bombs Kurdish villagers”. Israel has defended its soldiers’ actions after they opened fire on Palestinians who strayed from a main protest camp attended by tens of thousands and approached the heavily fortified fence cutting off the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Government rejects calls for an inquiry, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likening criticism by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to an April Fool's Day joke.