Ankara has repeatedly accused Israel of targeting civilians and committing war crimes (file)
Ankara:
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the situation in Gaza and the need for an urgent ceasefire there in separate talks with his Egyptian and Jordanian counterparts on Sunday, a Turkish diplomatic source said.
Turkey, which has sharply stepped up its criticism of Israel as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens, supports a two-state solution.
The country also hosts members of the Palestinian group Hamas, which it does not consider a terrorist organization, unlike the United States, the European Union and some Gulf states.
Fidan exchanged views with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on possible steps to “stop attacks on civilians in Gaza” and reach an urgent ceasefire, the source added.
Fidan and Shoukry also discussed efforts to ensure the unhindered and continuous delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, the source said.
Ankara has repeatedly accused Israel of targeting civilians, committing war crimes and violating international law.
Israel says it is targeting Hamas, not civilians, and that the Islamist group is using residents as human shields.
President Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech in the Black Sea province of Rize that it was Turkey’s duty to “stop the massacre in Gaza” and hold Israel accountable.
“It is our responsibility to save our Palestinian brothers and sisters from Israel’s cruelty and to stop the massacre in Gaza. It is our duty to take the murderers by the collar,” he said.
“Rest assured, we are doing much more than what is happening in Gaza and we will continue to do so. We will not leave our brothers and sisters in Gaza unattended and hopeless,” he said, without elaborating.
Turkey had previously said it was in talks with Hamas about releasing hostages it captured in its Oct. 7 attack on Israel, but has not publicly announced progress in those efforts. Ankara has also sent more than 200 tons of humanitarian aid to Egypt for Gazans.
On Monday, Fidan will meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Ankara for talks on Gaza.
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