Turkish foreign minister attends 8th regional forum of Union of the Mediterranean

By Muhammed Enes Calli

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, his Arab and Muslim counterparts on Monday met with Spanish top diplomat Jose Manuel Albaresto in Barcelona to discuss the actions to stop the war in Gaza, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a shared post on X.

Fidan and Albares and other foreign ministers assigned by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation-Arab League Extraordinary Joint Summit also discussed the actions to achieve lasting peace in the region.

Fidan traveled to Spain to attend the eighth regional forum of the Union of the Mediterranean. The ministry said that the critical situation in the conflict between Palestine and Israel and its consequences for the region were discussed.

Turkish foreign minister also met with his Irish counterpart Micheal Martin on the sidelines of the event.

A four-day humanitarian pause mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US went into effect on Friday, temporarily halting Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip.

In the first two days of the pause, Hamas and Israel exchanged 41 Israelis and foreigners for 78 Palestinians in Israeli jails.

Under the agreement, the hostages and prisoners will be released in batches during the course of four days.

Israel launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas.

It has since killed at least 14,854 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and more than 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave. The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.