Türkiye’s President Erdogan, Hamas chief discuss efforts to end conflict, violence in Gaza

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh spoke on the phone on Monday and discussed efforts to end the conflict and violence in Gaza.

"We spoke on the phone with Ismail Haniyeh, the Political Bureau Chief of Hamas, prior to our Cabinet meeting. During our conversation with Haniyeh, we discussed efforts to end the conflicts and violence in Gaza,” Erdogan said on X.

He added that they assessed Hamas' acceptance of the cease-fire proposal received through intermediaries.

“In the phone call where I expressed that we find Hamas's decision, influenced by Türkiye’s suggestions, positive, we emphasized that Israel also needs to take steps for a permanent cease-fire,” Erdogan further said.

Erdogan also called on all parties, particularly Western countries, to exert “necessary pressure” on Israel for a cease-fire.

Türkiye has repeatedly pressed for a cease-fire in Gaza since the early days of the conflict, some seven months ago, and has called on all countries worldwide to help make a deal happen.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a cross-border attack on Oct. 7 last year by the Palestinian group Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people. Nearly 34,700 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of them women and children, and 78,000 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities

Nearly seven months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians there.