https://www.presstv.ir/

Hamas chief meets
Erdogan as Turkey tries to
mediate in Gaza war
Hamas' Haniyeh meets Turkey's
Erdogan amid Ankara's efforts to get
involved in Gaza war mediation.

Head of the politburo of the Palestinian resistance
movement Hamas has met Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as Ankara
tries to play a more influential role in efforts
to bring an end to Israel's ongoing aggression 
in Gaza.

Ismail Haniyeh met Erdogan in Istanbul on
Saturday a day after he met Turkish Foreign
Minister Hakan Fidan in Doha, Qatar, where
the Palestinian leader is based.

The meeting lasted for more than two and a
half hours, according to reports in the
Turkish media which said that Haniyeh and
Erdogan had discussed Israel's attacks on
Palestinian lands as well as efforts needed
for ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid
to Gaza.

The two also discussed measures to achieve
a fair and lasting peace process in Palestine,
said the reports which indicated that there
were no direct mention of the ongoing mediation
efforts to force an end to more than six
months of Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Turkey's state-run TRT said Erdogan had said
in the meeting that Turkey “is tirelessly 
continuing diplomatic efforts to draw 
international attention to the oppression of the
Palestinians".

He also said in the meeting that recent tensions
between Israel and Iran should not divert 
attentions from the plight of the
Palestinians in Gaza, adding that such a scenario
would only benefit the Israeli regime.

However, Erdogan's remarks come as Ankara
is still being criticized by countries in the 
region for failing to significantly downsize it's
trade and economic relations with Israel, a
measure they say can force Israel to reduce
it's atrocities in Gaza.

Erdogan's chief diplomat Fidan traveled to
Doha on Wednesday to meet Haniyeh just after 
Qatari authorities said they would reassess 
the position of the Arab country as a
mediator between Hamas and the Israeli
regime.

Analysts say Erdogan's harsh rhetoric
against Israeli regime officials has also
made it complicated for Turkey to play the
role of a mediator in the Gaza conflict.

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