Members of the Shura Council of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas held talks with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday. The sides discussed efforts for a cease-fire in Gaza, which has been suffering from continuous Israeli attacks since October 2023.
During the meeting between Fidan and the head of the Shura Council, Muhammad Darwish, it was underlined that Israel, by blocking the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, is trying to starve the Palestinian population. Both officials stressed the need for the international community to step up efforts to deliver aid to the region, Turkish diplomatic sources said.
The meeting also underlined that attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians from their homeland are unacceptable. The situation in the West Bank was discussed as well, with emphasis on how Israel’s actions to make the occupation permanent have reached a level that threatens regional peace. Efforts to achieve reconciliation among Palestinian groups were also discussed.
Fidan highlighted the importance of unity among Palestinians, expressing Türkiye’s readiness to contribute in every possible way to support these efforts.
Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalın also met the delegation for talks about how to deliver aid to war-ravaged Gaza, where Israel resumed its military offensive last month. The talks also focused on initiatives to secure a permanent cease-fire and ways to counter Israeli plans to displace Gaza’s population by force.
Kalın reassured them of Türkiye’s ongoing support and said Ankara would firmly oppose any new efforts to occupy or annex further Palestinian territory.
In a statement, Hamas said its leaders had stressed their willingness to “immediately reach a comprehensive prisoner exchange agreement in return for a cease-fire” as well as an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the start of reconstruction and the lifting of Israel’s blockade. It also expressed a desire to see “the immediate implementation of the Egyptian proposal to establish a special committee to govern the Gaza Strip, composed of independents and competent national figures.”
The Palestinian group had on Thursday signalled its rejection of Israel’s latest proposal for a 45-day cease-fire, calling for a “comprehensive” deal to end the 18-month-long war.
Since March 2, Israel has imposed a total blockade on aid entering Gaza.
The United Nations has warned that the territory was in the grip of its most severe humanitarian crisis since the conflict began in 2023.
Hamas has accused Israel of using “starvation as a weapon,” but Israel has vowed to keep up its blockade, saying it was the only way to force the group to release the 58 hostages still held in Gaza. After a two-month cease-fire, Israel renewed its Gaza assault on March 18, and since then has killed at least 1,691 people, the Health Ministry says, bringing the overall toll to 51,065, mostly civilians.
Rally for Gaza
The Turkish public and government are major supporters of the Palestinian cause. Türkiye has been a traditional ally to Palestine, but as the Israeli attacks became more brutal, Ankara has become harsher in its criticism in the past year. It has condemned what it calls genocide, halted all trade with Israel and applied to join a genocide case against Israel at the World Court, which Israel rejects.
In addition to delivering humanitarian aid, Türkiye has sought to rally international organizations, including the United Nations, NATO and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to restrain Israel.
On Sunday, Istanbul hosted the second weekend rally by nongovernmental organizations in two weeks under the motto of “Gaza Is Dying, Stand Up!.” A large crowd gathered in the Üsküdar district on the city’s Asian side, waving Palestinian flags. They held signs calling on Israel to get out of Palestine and the world to stop the genocide in the Palestinian enclave.
Türkiye on Friday hosted parliamentarian groups from around the world showing solidarity for Palestine. Addressing the meeting of the groups in Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that Israel was openly declaring it targets the Middle East’s peace and stability through attacks on Syria and Lebanon, besides the ongoing attacks on civilians in Gaza.
“This state of madness that threatens and worries the countries in the region must end as soon as possible. Otherwise, that fire will soon burn those who fan the flames,” Erdoğan said.
Defending Palestine is not only protecting an oppressed people, but safeguarding humanity, peace and justice, he said, indicating that the Islamic world has failed to act.
“I regret to say this, the Islamic world, unfortunately, has not realized what is expected of it.
“The Israeli government is massacring our Palestinian brothers en masse without differentiating between children, women, babies or the elderly,” he said.
Harshly criticizing those ignoring the attacks on Gaza, the president added: “Journalists are being killed while international press organizations are watching. Children are being killed while human rights defenders are watching.”
“Those who have been talking about rights, law and press freedom for years have been burying their head in the sand for 18 months in the face of Israel’s policy of massacre,” Erdoğan continued.
“Those Western countries, who raise the weapon of embargoes in every little incident, I ask you, where are they?”
He highlighted that “international law has become an apparatus for fortifying the strength of the strong instead of establishing justice.”
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