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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held several hours-long talks with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul.
Istanbul:
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Palestinians to unite amid Israel’s war in Gaza after hours of talks with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul on Saturday.
Erdogan has failed to step in as a mediator in the Gaza conflict that has rocked the region, with the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory a new Israeli attack and reports of an Israeli attack on Iran.
Erdogan said Palestinian unity was “important” after the talks at Dolmabahce Palace on the shores of the Bosphorus, which lasted more than two and a half hours, according to Turkish media reports.
“The strongest response to Israel and the path to victory lies in unity and integrity,” Erdogan said, according to a statement from the Turkish presidency.
Hamas — designated a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel — is a rival to the Fatah faction that rules the semi-autonomous Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank.
As fears of a wider regional war grow, Erdogan said recent events between Iran and Israel should not allow Israel to “gain ground and that it is important to act in a focused manner on Gaza.” ”
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz condemned the meeting, writing on X: “Muslim Brotherhood alliance: rape, murder, desecration of corpses and burning of children. Shame on you, Erdogan!”
Hamas was founded in 1987 by members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Close relationship with Hania
With Qatar saying it would reassess its role as a mediator between Hamas and Israel, Erdogan on Wednesday sent Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Doha in a fresh signal that he wants a role.
“If only I, Tayyip Erdoğan, remain, as long as God gives me my life, I will continue to defend the Palestinian struggle and be the voice of the oppressed Palestinian people,” the president said in announcing Haniyeh’s visit on Wednesday. Will.”
Hamas has had an office in Turkey since 2011, when Turkey helped the group secure a deal to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Erdogan has maintained ties with Haniyeh, visiting frequently.
According to Sinan Sedi, a Turkey expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, Feydan was a former head of Turkish intelligence and the country provided information and passports to Hamas officials, including Haniyeh.
However, this was never confirmed by the Turkish authorities.
Erdogan criticized Israel.
If Qatar withdraws from mediation efforts, Turkey may seek to raise its mediation profile based on Hamas connections.
Faydan held talks with visiting Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Saturday, with the two men stressing the need to deliver more humanitarian aid to the devastated Gaza, where famine is at risk.
Turkey is one of Gaza’s main humanitarian aid partners, sending 45,000 tons of goods and medicine to the area.
Israel has said it is preparing an operation against the Gaza city of Rafah, and the alleged Israeli attack on the Iranian province of Isfahan, following a direct attack on Israel by Iran, has cast a shadow over hopes for peace progress.
But Erdogan can only be expected to play a “very limited” role as he openly condemns Israel and its actions in Gaza, according to Sidi.
Last year, the Turkish leader likened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s tactics to those of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and labeled Israel a “terrorist state” for its crackdown on Hamas following the group’s October 7 attacks on Israel. gave
Ciddi said that Erdogan would not be welcome in Israel and that he might be able to convey more messages between Palestinian and Israeli negotiators.
1,170 people, mostly civilians, were killed in southern Israel as a result of the unprecedented attacks by Hamas that sparked the Gaza War.
Hamas also took about 250 hostages. Israel estimates that 129 remain in Gaza, including 34 dead.
Israel’s retaliation has killed 34,049 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-ruled territory’s health ministry.
(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
