Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called Israel a terrorist state and urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to explain whether Israel has nuclear weapons, Anadolu Agency reports.

"I'm saying it clearly: Israel is a terrorist state," Erdogan said on Wednesday at a meeting of the Justice and Development Party, which he heads.

Speaking about the events in the Gaza Strip, Erdogan said that "if Israel continues massacres, it will be condemned as a terrorist state around the world."

The Turkish leader also called on Netanyahu to explain whether Israel really has nuclear weapons.

"I ask Netanyahu: do you have nuclear weapons or not? You are threatening with an atomic bomb," Erdogan said, according to Anadolu Agency.

In addition, Erdogan said that he "will never hesitate to say" that Hamas "are rebels trying to defend their homeland and lives."