The leader of the Palestinian Hamas, Ismaïl Haniyeh, who is based in Qatar, met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Turkey on Saturday, as announced by diplomatic sources on Sunday, without specifying the exact location of the meeting.
Ismaïl Haniyeh (L) and Hakan Fidan
The leader of the Palestinian Hamas, Ismaïl Haniyeh, who is based in Qatar, met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Turkey on Saturday, as announced by diplomatic sources on Sunday, without specifying the exact location of the meeting.
The discussions at the heart of the meeting centered around "the release of hostages" and "the establishment of a ceasefire as soon as possible," according to these sources.
During the meeting, various topics were discussed, including the urgent need to establish a ceasefire in Gaza, increasing humanitarian aid, securing the release of hostages, and finding a two-state solution for lasting peace, detailed the sources.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had offered his mediation between the Hamas, which he sees as a "liberation movement," and Israel, which he has repeatedly labeled as a "terrorist state."
However, most of the negotiations have been led by Qatar and Egypt up to this point.
Despite Ankara's strong support for the Palestinian cause, Turkish authorities discreetly requested that Hamas leaders present in Turkey leave the country following the unprecedented attack on Israeli soil on October 7, which resulted in 1,140 casualties, primarily civilians.
Israel will continue its operations on the ground in southern Lebanon for the time being and Lebanese residents forced from their homes by Israel would not be able to return, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday.
U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the NATO meeting of heads of state that is taking place in Turkey in early July, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday, providing a confirmation that will likely lead to a sigh of relief across the capitals of the alliance.
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