UPDATE 2 - Turkish foreign minister talks war in Gaza at Union of the Mediterranean forum

UPDATES WITH TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER FIDAN'S MEETING WITH DUTCH COUNTERPART; OTHER EDITS THROUGHOUT; REVISES HEADLINE

By Muhammed Enes Calli

ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Arab and Muslim counterparts on Monday met with Spain’s top diplomat Jose Manuel Albares in Barcelona to discuss how to stop the war in Gaza, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on X.

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

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

On the sidelines of the event, Fidan also met Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, and Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot.

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.

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, with new reports saying the pause will be extended for two more days.

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

* Diyar Guldogan from Washington contributed to this story