Turkish foreign minister meets with Iranian, Iraqi counterparts in Saudi Arabia

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with his Iraqi and Iranian counterparts on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah city, where he was attending an emergency session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Fidan met with Iraq's Fuad Hussein and Iran's Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on the sidelines of the OIC meeting, the Turkish minister said on X, sharing photos from the meetings in social media posts.

Earlier, Fidan addressing the emergency session, called for an "unconditional cease-fire" to stop the loss of civilian life in Gaza.

"What unfolds in Gaza is a gross violation of any form of international law," he said.

The OIC emergency meeting was convened in response to the escalating tensions between Israel and Palestine.

Meanwhile, Fidan also spoke with Argentina's Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero on the phone, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.

Turkish and Argentine ministers discussed the developments in Israel and Palestine, as well as the Israeli attacks on Gaza.

On Wednesday, in a final communique issued following an extraordinary meeting of the OIC Executive Committee, the bloc called for the immediate lifting of Israeli’s siege on the Gaza Strip.

Gaza is currently experiencing a dire humanitarian crisis with no electricity, while water, food, fuel, and medical supplies are running out.

At least 471 people were killed and 342 others were injured in an Israeli airstrike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza late Tuesday, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Wednesday. Israel, however, has denied responsibility for the air raid.

The conflict began on Oct. 7 when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for an “immediate humanitarian cease-fire” to ease the “epic human suffering.”

At least 3,478 Palestinians have so far been killed, while the figure stands at more than 1,400 people in Israel.