UPDATE 2 - Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to visit Türkiye in August

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Gizem Nisa Cebi, Muhammed Enes Calli and Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Türkiye in August, Turkish officials confirmed on Wednesday.

Abbas will pay a visit to Türkiye on Aug. 14-15, the country’s communications director, Fahrettin Altun, said on X.

Abbas will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Aug. 14, and will address the Turkish parliament the next day, Altun added.

Turkish parliament speaker Numan Kurtulmus called for an extraordinary meeting of the parliament on Aug. 15 for Abbas's address.

"I call the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye for an extraordinary meeting in order to show our strong support for the Palestinian people and their cause and to ensure that the voice of the oppressed Palestinian people is heard around the world," Kurtulmus said.

The visit comes in the backdrop of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's assassination earlier in the day in an airstrike in Tehran, heightening the risk of regional conflagration.

In Gaza, Israel has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians since a cross-border attack by Hamas in October.

Earlier this month, the International Court of Justice in an advisory opinion said Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is unlawful and should end.