Turkey played a key role in securing the release of five Thai hostages who had been held in Gaza for nearly 16 months, according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan © X
Turkey played a key role in securing the release of five Thai hostages who had been held in Gaza for nearly 16 months, according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency.
The report states that Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) engaged in negotiations with Hamas under the direct orders of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The five Thai nationals were kidnapped on October 7, 2023, during Hamas' attack on southern Israel. They were freed on Thursday, alongside three Israeli hostages, as part of the third hostage-prisoner exchange under the ongoing ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
In an effort to mediate the release, President Erdoğan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and Turkey’s intelligence chief met with a Hamas delegation in Ankara on Wednesday. The delegation was led by Mohammed Ismail Darwish, the head of Hamas' Shura Council.
This latest development underscores Turkey’s diplomatic engagement in regional conflicts and its active role in humanitarian negotiations related to the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.
While Ankara supports Hamas, it keeps diplomatic channels open with Israel.
By Antoione Khoury
Lebanese and Israeli envoys will meet for the second time in two weeks in Washington on Thursday, building on nascent contacts between the states, with Lebanon hoping for the extension of a shaky ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will make an official visit to London this week for talks on the wars in Iran and Ukraine, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Wednesday, adding that he will also discuss cooperation between the NATO allies.
The French president's accusation that Israel harbours "territorial ambitions" in Lebanon is not only factually questionable, it reveals Paris's diminishing diplomatic relevance in a conflict being shaped in Washington.
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