Special report: Palestine-Israel Conflicts        

    ANKARA, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Turkey condemned on Sunday Israel's move to send ground forces into the Gaza Strip despite international warnings and calls for an end to the ground offensive.

    In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said the country has earlier expressed its profound concerns about the Israeli air strikes and called on Israel to put an end to the strikes and allow dispatch of humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza.

    However, "despite all our calls, Israel has now sent its ground forces into the Gaza Strip, causing an indignation and deepening our concerns. We harshly condemn it," said the statement.

    It said that the escalating tension would not serve efforts to ensure peace and stability in the region and attempts to find a solution to the problem through military methods would not yield any results except for causing more bloodshed and more tears.

    The statement reiterated Turkey's call on Israel "to put an end to its military action before the region becomes more precarious."

    Israeli troops entered the Gaza Strip on Saturday evening, launching ground invasion against the coastal enclave following eight days of intensive air strikes.