Scholz calls Erdogan's claim that Israel is fascist 'absurd'

Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Recep Tayyip Erdogan's accusation of fascism against Israel is "absurd", days before the German leader is due to host the Turkish president for talks in Berlin.

Erdogan has been an increasingly vocal critic of Israel's war against Hamas, following the Islamist gunmen's deadly attack on October 7 which Israel says killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

The Turkish leader has accused Israel of committing war crimes as it heavily bombards the Gaza Strip, where the death toll has mounted past 11,000, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Of Olaf Scholz