Turkish foreign minister discusses Palestinian-Israeli escalation with counterparts

By Diyar Guldogan

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday held phone calls with his regional counterparts as tensions between Israel and Palestine escalated, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

Fidan separately discussed the matter with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Furhan al-Saud, Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki, and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

The conversations came as Palestinian group Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, with rockets targeting enemy sites, airports, and military installations.

In response, the Israeli army initiated Operation Iron Swords against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

At least 198 Palestinians have been killed in the air attacks, according to medical sources in Gaza, while Israeli authorities said more than 100 Israelis were killed in what has been described as "war" by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Hamas, the group running the blockaded Gaza Strip, said its operation was in response to desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence.

Türkiye has voiced "deep" concern over the development, offering help to de-escalate the situation.

Ankara supports a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, including the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.