Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa discussed efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza during a phone call on Friday, according to diplomatic sources.
The conversation focused on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to media restrictions.
Fidan emphasized the importance of inter-Palestinian reconciliation and reiterated Türkiye’s support for such efforts, the sources added.
BEIT HANOUN, GAZA – NOVEMBER 16: A woman walks on debris as Palestinians take refuge in a school, belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), to escape from Israeli attacks in Beit Hanoun, Gaza on November 16, 2024. ( Mahmoud İssa – Anadolu Agency )EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / The bodies of victims recovered from the rubble of a building are covered with blankets as people continue their search, following an overnight Israeli strike that reportedly killed a local journalist and several others in Beit Lahya in the northern Gaza Strip on November 17, 2024. – Since October 6, the Israeli military has mounted a sweeping air and land assault on northern Gaza, initially focused on the Jabalia area, describing it as an operation aimed at preventing Hamas militants from regrouping. (Photo by AFP)BEIT HANOUN, GAZA – NOVEMBER 16: Palestinians walk on debris as they take refuge in a school, belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), to escape from Israeli attacks in Beit Hanoun, Gaza on November 16, 2024. ( Mahmoud İssa – Anadolu Agency )KHAN YUNIS, GAZA – NOVEMBER 17: Palestinians try to continue their daily lives among the rubbles of demolished buildings under the difficult conditions due to Israeli attacks in Khan Yunis, Gaza on November 17, 2024. ( Hani Alshaer – Anadolu Agency )
Ongoing conflict in Gaza
The ongoing conflict in Gaza began following an October 2023 attack by Hamas, prompting Israel to launch a large-scale military offensive. Despite a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, the offensive continues into its second year.
The conflict has resulted in over 44,000 deaths and left 104,000 people injured, with Gaza largely reduced to rubble. Critical shortages of food, medicine, and water have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, making much of the region uninhabitable.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. (AA Photo)
