Türkiye’s intel chief meet Hamas leader amid calls for ceasefire

ANKARA

Türkiye’s head of the intelligence agency, İbrahim Kalın, held talks with the head of the political wing of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in Doha amid efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza war that killed more than 25,000 civilians at the hands of the Israeli army.

National Intelligence Organization (MİT) head Kalın met Haniyeh in Doha on Feb. 3, the sources informed. Both men were leading delegations during the talks.

The sources stressed that Kalın and Haniyeh discussed the exchange of hostages between Israel and Hamas, the recent developments in Gaza, reaching a ceasefire and ending the siege by Israel.

The talks came at a moment when international and regional efforts for a ceasefire or a longer pause have been intensified. Hamas officials have reportedly underlined their readiness to negotiate a ceasefire with Israel.

Kalın and Haniyeh also discussed the ways for an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid to the civilians stranded in Gaza. Millions of people have been facing scarcity of food, medicine and other basic needs since the war started in mid-October. Türkiye has been one of the countries that supplied most of these needs to the Gaza people in the past months.

The two men also reviewed efforts to find a lasting solution to the Israel-Palestine question through the promotion of a two-state formula that will secure a free, sovereign and independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.

Türkiye has proposed the creation of a guarantor mechanism for promoting peace and stability between Israel and Palestine, underlining that the only way to prevent the spread of this war is a peace agreement between the two rival sides.

Fidan speaks with Saudi counterpart over phone

In the meantime, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a phone conversation with his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud on Feb. 3. They discussed the recent situation in Gaza and other regional developments, the diplomatic sources informed.

Türkiye has been actively engaging in a ceasefire and launching a new diplomatic effort for the resolution of the problem. Fidan, as a member of the Contact Group established by the prominent regional countries, engaged in talks with the Western powers for the cessation of the conflict.