Turkish Foreign Minister receives Hamas delegation on eve of visit to Cairo

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan received a delegation from Hamas headed by Khalil al-Hayya, a member of the movement's political bureau.

Diplomatic sources told Anadolu Agency that the meeting took place in Ankara on Saturday, without providing details about the content of the talks. The meeting between the two sides follows a phone call Fidan had with Al-Hayya on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Gaza.

Fidan's visit comes on the eve of his planned visit to Cairo, tomorrow, Sunday, to participate in the ministerial committee meeting of the Arab-Islamic Contact Group on Gaza, hosted by the Egyptian capital.

Turkish Foreign Ministry sources told Anadolu Agency that Fidan is expected to express Turkey's support for the Gaza reconstruction plan, which was adopted at the extraordinary Arab League summit held in Cairo on March 4.

Fidan is expected to emphasize the importance of implementing the next stages of the Gaza ceasefire agreement (which Israel has disavowed) as soon as possible, consolidating the agreement, and resuming humanitarian aid to Gaza. Fidan is also expected to discuss with his counterparts joint efforts to recognize Palestine as an independent and sovereign state.

Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanou confirmed on Saturday that contacts with mediators are ongoing, and that negotiations have not ceased with the goal of reaching an agreement that would restore a ceasefire and halt the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which resumed last Tuesday.

In exclusive statements to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, in response to statements by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who said that Hamas is committed to governing Gaza, Al-Qanou' added that the movement is ready for any consensual arrangements regarding the administration of Gaza.

Earlier, Witkov said that Hamas is an idea that cannot be eliminated, but that it cannot be part of the future governance of Gaza. He indicated that there is hope for a ceasefire in Gaza soon, while accusing the movement of clinging to power.

Since last Tuesday, 634 Palestinians have been martyred and 1,172 others have been injured, with the total death toll since October 7 approaching 50,000 and 114,000 injured as a result of Israel's war of extermination.

(Anatolia, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed)