Erdogan helped bring Hamas back to Gaza cease-fire negotiations: Blinken
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) shakes hands with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) during a reception at Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Türkiye on December 12, 2024. (AA Photo)
Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken said Thursday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan played a pivotal role in bringing Hamas back to the negotiating table to finalize the Gaza cease-fire and prisoner exchange deal.
“In recent weeks, we went also to other actors, including Türkiye, President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan, to use his weight and influence to get Hamas back to the table to try to conclude an agreement, and he did”, Blinken told reporters during his final press briefing.
“It’s a long way of saying that all of these things coming together over many months, I believe, is what’s gotten us here,” he added.
‘Tying up loose ends’
Blinken also expressed confidence that the cease-fire in Gaza will be implemented as of Sunday, despite Israel postponing a cabinet vote.
Noting his recent engagements with Qatari mediators to resolve remaining issues, he said he is “very confident” about the start of implementation of the agreement this weekend.
“It’s not exactly surprising that in a process, in a negotiation, that has been this challenging and this fraught, you may get a loose end. We’re tying up that loose end as we speak,” he stated.
Touching upon whether the cease-fire deal could have been reached earlier, “Do I wish we could have gotten the ceasefire agreement months ago? Of course. the suffering, the lives lost could have been avoided if we’d gotten this over the line sooner,” he said.
Qatari PM and Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman announced the success of mediators Wednesday in reaching a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip, noting that its implementation will begin this Sunday.
The first phase of the agreement will last for 42 days and involve the release of 33 Israeli detainees in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners.
Bin Abdulrahman emphasized that Qatar, Egypt, and the United States will ensure the implementation of the agreement and monitor its execution to prevent violations.
