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.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told his U.S. counterpart that military operations in the Gaza Strip have created conditions that would enable a hostage deal to be reached, Gallant's office said on Wednesday.
A meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the Middle East was briefly interrupted on Wednesday when two protesters stood with signs and yelled for the release of Israeli hostages held by Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack at a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Oman, the group said on Tuesday, which left at least nine people dead, including three attackers, a rare security breach in the oil-producing Gulf state.
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