ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Ebrahim Rais have discussed the “unlawful” Israeli attacks on Gaza, Turkish officials said on Sunday.
According to Turkish media, the two leaders held the discussion during a telephonic conversation and exchanged views on the possible measures to be taken for a permanent truce in the region along with humanitarian help delivery to Palestinians. Erdogan stressed the significance of the Muslim world, adopting a common position in the face of Israeli atrocities and brutalities in the Palestinian territories, the local media reported.
Erdogan further said that Turkey and Iran will continue to work together for a permanent truce and obtain lasting peace. The two sides also exchanged views bilateral ties between Ankara and Tehran.
Erdogan, Raisi Discuss ‘Unlawful’ Israeli Strikes on Gaza
A four-day humanitarian pause went into effect on Friday, temporarily stopping Israel’s strikes on the Gaza Strip. Under the agreement between Hamas and Israel, the captives and prisoners will be freed in batches during the course of 4 days between the two sides.
According to media reports, on Sunday, the Palestinian Hamas released a third group of 17 captives, marking a total of 58 hostages released since the initiation of the four-day ceasefire on Friday. This exchange was accompanied by the release of 39 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. The Israeli army said that 13 of the released hostages have returned to Israel. The releases, part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, have brought the total number of Israelis freed to 39 since the ceasefire began, with a corresponding release of 117 Palestinian prisoners over the past three days.
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Israel launched a massive army campaign in Gaza after a cross-border surprise attack by Hamas on Oct. 7. It has since killed more than 15,000 Palestinians, including children and women, according to health authorities in the Strip. Around 1,200 Israelis have also been killed in the conflict between the two sides.
